Recipe: Indonesian Sweet Soy-Glazed Salmon

Behold: a healthy, simple weeknight dinner with a little sweet and sass to boot. Indonesian sweet soy sauce is a new to me, but it may give balsamic vinegar a run for its money atop my favorite ingredient list. It’s available at international grocery stores (look for kecap manis on the label). It’s sticky and sweet, but still brings that umami pop that livens up so many dishes. Serve this with rice and let the skillet soak overnight for a quick clean up in the morning.

Sweet Soy-Glazed Salmon
4 servings

1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
1 1-lb. skin-on salmon fillet, cut into 4 equal pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup kecap manis sweet soy sauce*
2 Tbsp. chili-garlic sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
4 to 5 cups broccoli florets
Juice of 1 small lemon
¼ cup water or chicken broth

• In a large nonstick skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. 

• Season the salmon with salt and pepper to taste and place the salmon into the skillet skin side-down. Cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes. 

• Whisk together the sweet soy sauce, the chili-garlic sauce and the sesame oil. Pour the sauce over the salmon and add the broccoli to the skillet. Add the lemon juice and water, cover and cook another 4 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fillet reaches 140 to 145 degrees. 

• Remove the salmon from the pan and toss the broccoli in any remaining sauce. Serve immediately.

* Kecap manis is available at international groceries. You can make your own by combining equal parts soy sauce and brown sugar and cooking over low heat until it reaches a thick, syrupy texture.

Dee Ryan is a longtime contributor to Sauce Magazine.