Asian Sesame Noodles with Teriyaki Salmon

Are noodles not the most comforting food ever? this was a comment at the dinner table tonight. I got home just past 5pm. It was supposed to rain but the sun was still shining as I walked along the sea wall, the boats clanking like wind chimes as they bobbed in the marina. Spring has finally arrived in my Pacific Northwest home and Mother Nature makes her transition by giving us a little bit of wintery weather with a sprinkle of summer. Rain, sun, rain, sun. It’s been like this for days. The crock pot has been stored until the weather turns again in late September but this doesn’t mean I stop making comfort food. I love comfort food. It just gets a little lighter than stews and oven roasted meals in the Spring and this recipe is the perfect mix of comfort and fresh; noodles, snow peas, fresh scallions and mushrooms.

If you enjoy sweet and salty food combined, you’ll love my simple dish.

You will need (For the Noodles)

- 1 tablespoons cooking oil ( (I use organic coconut oil)
- 5 green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 7-10 regular button mushrooms, sliced (I bought pre sliced to save time)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (don’t worry this does not make it spicy and I hate spicy food)
- 2 cups of snow peas, ends trimmed.
- Fettuccini pasta, enough for 4 servings.

You will need (for salmon)

2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 -4 salmon fillets (we only use wild Sockeye, mostly caught by my boyfriend)
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the Noodles:

Heat a large pan or wok on medium heat. Add coconut oil then add the chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes until they begin to soften.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the soy sauce, honey, chicken stock, sesame oil and Sriracha. Mix well.

In a small pot, boil water and add snow peas. Blanch them for 3 minutes, they should still be a little crunchy.

Bring water to boil in a large pot and cook pasta according to instructions. Drain.

Add the drained snow peas and pasta to the wok with the mushrooms and sauce. Mix everything well and keep warm on the stove at it’s lowest setting.

To cook salmon:

Season salmon on non-skin side with salt & pepper generously. Heat a pan on high heat and when it’s hot, add the coconut oil, it should sizzle. Add salmon with the skin facing upward and sear for 3 to 4 minutes (depending on how thick your salmon fillets are). Move the fish around the pan to coat it with the oil. Turn your fan on and open the windows ’cause my house gets so smokey when I make this.

After the 4 minutes, turn the salmon over to the skin side and sear for another 3 minutes on high heat. Remove the salmon from the pan and transfer to a shallow oven safe pan.

Turn on the broiler (in your oven). Mix honey and soy sauce together in a small bowl and pour over the salmon. Place salmon in the oven and broil for 3 minutes.