Pacific Currents

An Asian approach adds verve to three salmon dishes.

Rich and distinctly flavored on its own, salmon lends itself well to a host of tastes and cooking treatments. Here we take a pan-Asian approach, with flavors borrowed from Filipino, Korean, and Japanese cuisines (none of these dishes are altogether authentic). The Filipino dish includes tomatoes plus vinegar for tang -- both are popular in Filipino cooking. The Korean dish is based loosely on bulgogi, a form of Korean barbecue often made with beef, but excellent with salmon. In these two recipes I've added vegetables, for something of a skillet dinner. Add rice to complete the meal. The Japanese dish, which contains noodles, makes a light meal in itself.

Pan-Seared Salmon With Filipino-Style Coconut Sauce and Green Beans

Serves 6

1 small serrano chili, seeded and chopped, or to taste

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon canola oil

2¼ pounds salmon fillet, cut crosswise into 6 equal pieces

Salt

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth or fish stock

½ cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

1 cup canned diced (petite cut) tomatoes, drained

1½ pounds green beans, trimmed and broken in half

4 scallions, thinly sliced

In a food processor or blender, process the chili, garlic, ginger, sugar, vinegar, and ½ tablespoon of oil until smooth, about 45 seconds, and set aside. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil until it shimmers. Add the salmon skin side down, sprinkle with salt to taste, and cook, without moving, until skin side is well browned and bottom half of flesh turns opaque, about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat to medium, turn fillets, and cook, without moving them, until they are firm, but not hard, when gently pressed, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer the salmon to a serving dish and tent loosely with foil.

Wipe out the skillet with paper towels, return to burner, set heat to high, and carefully add the broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, tomatoes, and chili-garlic mixture (there may be splattering), bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce begins to thicken, about 4 minutes. Add the green beans, half the scallions, and ½ teaspoon of salt, cover skillet about three-quarters of the way, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender-crisp, about 5½ minutes. Transfer beans to the serving dish, pour the sauce over the salmon, sprinkle with remaining scallions, and serve at once.

Korean-Style Salmon With Mushrooms and Cabbage

Serves 6

12 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1½ cups)

8 medium garlic cloves, minced

1½ tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2½ tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup sake

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon Asian chili oil

2¼ pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces

2 teaspoons canola oil

1½ pounds button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

Salt and pepper

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 small Napa cabbage (about 1½ pounds), trimmed, quartered, and sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

In a food processor or blender, process about ¾ cup of scallions, the garlic, ginger, sugar, sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil until smooth, about 45 seconds. Reserve ¼ cup of marinade; scrape remaining marinade into a large baking dish, add salmon, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, turning once or twice.

In a very large nonstick skillet, heat the canola oil over high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid from the mushrooms begins to evaporate, about 8 minutes. Add onion, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until both mushrooms and onion are tender and golden, about 4 minutes longer. Add the Napa cabbage and remaining ¾ cup of scallions, stir to mix, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until Napa stem pieces are tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved marinade, stir to coat, transfer the mixture to a serving platter, and cover loosely with foil.

Return skillet to the burner and set heat to medium-high. Carefully add salmon and marinade from the baking dish to the skillet, cover, and cook until the salmon just turns opaque, about 5 minutes. Remove the cover, gently turn salmon pieces over, and continue to cook until salmon is cooked through and the sauce thickens a little, about 2 minutes longer. Place salmon pieces on the vegetables, top with any sauce remaining in pan, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve at once.

Japanese-Style Salmon-Noodle Soup

Serves 6

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or Japanese dashi

1 cup sake

1 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced into 12 pieces, each piece smashed

7 or 8 ounces cellophane noodles or thin rice noodles

2 tablespoons soy sauce, or more, to taste

Salt

2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces

3 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias

½ pound button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced

6 scallions, sliced on the bias into ½-inch lengths

3 cups, packed (about 3 ounces) baby spinach leaves

In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle, bring the chicken broth, sake, 1½ cups of water, and ginger to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer until fragrant, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard the ginger. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, soak the noodles in very hot water, stirring occasionally, until pliable, about 15 minutes, and drain them.

Add the soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of salt to the broth and bring it to a boil. Add the noodles, salmon, and carrots, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the salmon begins turning opaque, about 2½ minutes. Add the mushrooms and scallions and simmer until the noodles are tender and the salmon is just cooked through, about 2½ minutes longer. Meanwhile, divide the spinach among 6 serving bowls. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce or salt, if desired. Divide the noodles and salmon among the bowls. Ladle a portion of broth into each bowl and serve at once.

Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.