Korean Obsession

Sometimes, it is really hard to order at our favorite restaurant, so many things sound delicious.  And it is a rare, rare night when we order wrong.  But a few weeks ago, the unthinkable happened.  Ryan ordered an appetizer that was not great, but merely fine.  And maybe he could have lived with that, but he made the mistake of asking for more details about his second choice, the Korean Rice Cakes.  When he heard the name of the sauce, he said something along the lines of "that stuff is the shit," and promptly pulled up an e-mail he'd sent to himself earlier in the week consisting of exactly one word: gochujang. For the rest of the meal, those rice cakes were all he talked about.  By dessert, it was time for extreme measures.  After a brief consultation with our favorite waiter who advised "Just do it, or you'll be in her ear about it for the rest of the night," he ordered the rice cakes for dessert.  It was a very happy time for him.  But he hasn't really let it go.  He can't stop thinking about the gochujang.  Finally, we made a trip to a massive Asian grocery and bought some of our very own. Of course, I had to make something using it right away to shut him up show my love.  I'm nice like that.

SALMON IN GOCHUJANG
recipe from Indonesia Eats,
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb salmon
1/4 C gochujang
2 T + 1 t rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T honey
1 T vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
Whisk together the gochujang, rice wine vinegar, soy, garlic and honey.  Rinse the salmon and pat dry.  Pour the marinade in dish large enough to hold the piece of salmon.  Place the salmon in the marinade skin side up, then flip and place it skin side down, then return it to the skin side up position once the salmon is fully coated.  Marinate for 1 hour.

Heat up a large skilled with a little bit of cooking oil, something flavorless is best.  On medium high heat, cook the salmon 3-4 minutes a side or until an opaque pinkish-salmon color.

If you'd like to use the marinade as a dipping sauce, transfer it to a small pan and heat to a boil.  Then you're all set to use it again.