Whiskey-Marinated Salmon

By Paul Briand

The Saturday edition of the Wall Street Journal is a relatively new source for cooking ideas. Sometimes, the recipe ideas are a little out there -- at least for someone like me -- but sometimes the ideas are right in my wheelhouse.

This recipe for Whiskey-Marinated Salmon  from last Saturday is a case in point. It’s easy, it’s tasty, and I just happened to have a new bottle of Wild Turkey on hand for the occasion.

The Wild Turkey came from my future son-in-law’s stag party the weekend before, but that’s a whole other story.

Note: This is the recipe as originally presented. I only had about half as much salmon, so I halved the recipe. I used the dish to top a large salad.

Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dark (toasted) sesame oil
7 tablespoons soy (preferably light) or tamari sauce
¾ cup whiskey
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
A few drops Tabasco or similar hot chili sauce
3 pounds salmon filet cut into 8 equal pieces, skin left on

Directions
1. Whisk oils, soy sauce, whiskey, sugar, garlic and Tabasco together;
2. Using a large zip-lock bag, place the salmon in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight;
3. Place salmon pieces on grill, skin side down. Cook 5 minutes. Slide a spatula between skin and fish and turn each piece of salmon over, resting it on its detached skin. This protects tender salmon from direct contact with hot grill;
4. Cook until desired doneness is reached, 2-5 minutes. If broiling, broil on one side only until done, 5-8 minutes.

Click here for recipe card.