A colorful dish comes together in just one pan: serve this honey sesame salmon with steamed rice and it’s a nutritious and quick weeknight meal.
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Feeding a toddler can sometimes feel like navigating a mine field. My son was, like most babies, extremely curious food-wise from 6 months on. Then he turned one, and just as he started to walk, he started to have opinions about food. That cheese omelet he couldn’t get enough of? Hasn’t had a bite of it for the past 18 months. That quickly seared piece of sweet white fish that was a life-saver on a weeknight? Don’t even think about it. Even tried and true classics can be looked upon with extreme suspicion, depending on the day. Frankly, predicting my son’s cravings can be like forecasting the weather: I’ve long stopped trying and just see what happens on the day.
Feeding my son and training his taste buds can be frustrating, but it’s also one of my priorities. Over time, I’ve realized he’s actually a good eater: he has a good appetite, loves all sorts of foods, eats tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, and will usually at least have a taste of something new. So my weekly menus have evolved to a combination of sure shots and new dishes, so I can enjoy easy wins and challenge him on other nights, too.
This honey sesame salmon and roasted radishes dish came about from my determination of making him eat more fish. He’ll gladly eat it at daycare—of course—but it’s been more difficult to pass it at home. He loves the mellow sweet and salty flavors of Japanese food, so I thought a teriyaki-like glaze might help it go down. This colorful dish comes together in just one pan: serve it with steamed rice and it’s a nutritious and quick weeknight meal.
For grownups, the revelation in this recipe will probably be the radishes: once pungent and hot, radishes become delightfully mellow and tender once roasted. They’re a natural match to Asian flavors, so I took full advantage of that by tossing them into sesame oil and honey, which only amplifies their surprising roasted sweetness. They keep much of their lovely pink color, too—and everybody will love that, even tiny eaters.
In case you’re wondering: My son did eat some of the salmon and the radishes, and he seemed to like it, but of course he binged on the sticky rice more than the fish. I’m hopeful it’ll be the other way around the next time I make it! #wontgiveup
Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.
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Author: Marie Asselin
This is a superb recipe! We are friends with fishermen and end up with a lot of salmon in our freezer. I’m medium fond of salmon. I loved this and so did my husband. My only deviation was the clean and slice the radishes with greens attached. It was really great! I will 100% make this again.
Thanks for your feedback, Liz! This is one of my family’s favorite recipes. I make it at least twice a month!