Matcha Green Tea and Cardamom Grilled Salmon
I remember once seeing a recipe using green tea leaves, crushed with mortar and pestle, as an ingredient in a salmon dish. It inspired me to try to come up with my own recipe using matcha green tea powder and salmon because 1. I LOVE matcha 2. I LOVE salmon.
I used ceremonial organic matcha for this, as well as fresh sockeye salmon. It is a very minimalist recipe, but the flavor is savory and rich in depth. The cedar plank unifies the dish by adding a hint of smokiness that I would miss if I just placed the salmon directly on the grill. Although I haven’t tried it, I bet substituting fresh orange zest in place of the dried orange peel would be great, too, especially if you don’t enjoy a little crunch from the dried peel.
Don’t forget to soak your cedar planks in water for at least an hour or so before starting. I usually soak them even longer and while I am doing other things (even all afternoon if needed) because I don’t want to forget and then have to change my dinner plan at the last minute.
Recipe:
*Don’t forget- Soak Cedar Planks in water at least 1 hr (longer is ok if you need to soak them while you are at work, etc.) *
Ingredients:
2 fresh, 4-6 oz salmon filets (with pin bones removed)
1/8 tsp matcha green tea powder
¼ tsp orange peel, dried
¼ tsp ground cardamom
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP meyer lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Step 1- fresh sockeye filet with salt and pepper
Step 2- matcha cardamom seasoning
Step 3- meyer lemon juice added to seasoning
Step 4- mix dry seasoning and lemon butter mixture
Step 5- brush matcha seasoning onto salmon filet
Step 6- enjoy!
Directions:
Season filets with dash of salt and pepper
Mix dry spice ingredients together (matcha powder, orange peel, cardamom)
Combine butter and meyer lemon juice in small saucepan on low heat until melted and mixed, then add it to your dry mix of matcha, orange peel, and cardamom and mix together.
Brush the mixture of liquid and dry ingredients from previous step onto the salmon.
Grill at medium high heat for approximately 8-12 minutes, depending on depth of filet and how well done you want the fish. For well done, approximately 1 inch thick salmon, cook approximately 12 minutes.