RECIPES

Dinner Tonight: Salmon and asparagus stir-fry

6/11/2013

Jennifer Hepner fondly remembers an Asian bistro called Styx that served a wonderful salmon and asparagus stir fry. “My husband and I were hooked!” she writes. Though the restaurant has since closed, she re-creates the recipe with a few ingredients of her own. She says, “Served over quick-cooking brown rice, it’s ready in no time.”

Salmon and Asparagus Stir-fry

½ pound fresh asparagus washed, trimmed and

broken into bite-sized pieces.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ sweet onion, thinly sliced

1-2 pounds salmon, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 pound thinly sliced white mushrooms

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more, optional

4-5 teaspoons black bean sauce, see cook’s note

¼ cup chicken broth

¾ cup unsalted cashews

Quick-cooking brown rice for 4 servings

Cook’s note: Black bean sauce is available in the international aisle of grocery stores.

Blanch asparagus or quickly pre-cook in a bit of water on high in a microwave.

Prepare rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok or heavy sauté pan until hot. Stir-fry onions for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until the edges of the mushrooms begin to brown. Stir in salmon, cooking just until no longer pink on the outside. Reduce heat to medium and add asparagus, pepper flakes, black bean sauce, and chicken broth. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add cashews. If too thin, whisk a teaspoon of cornstarch into 2-3 teaspoons of water and add to thicken. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth. Serve over rice.

— Jennifer Hepner

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