The Classic Touch of Thai

If you’re looking for a new way of cooking salmon, try poaching it in the classic Thai broth used for the chicken-coconut soup tom kha gai. The flavors from the coconut milk, lemon grass and chile oil are terrific with fish.

Serve the salmon with a bright-tasting watercress and cucumber salad dressed with lime vinaigrette and end the meal with a small scoop of coconut ice cream. Most of the ingredients in this recipe are available at most major supermarkets.

One tip on buying salmon is to have the store take the skin off and cut the fillets into 2- to 2 1/2-inch widths.

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Watercress and Cucumber Salad

Salmon Poached in Coconut Broth

Coconut Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

Staples:

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Chicken broth or stock

Shopping List:

Fish sauce

Chile oil

1 (13 1/2-ounce) can coconut milk

1 lime

1 stalk lemon grass

1 serrano or red chile

4 heads baby bok choy

1 bunch cilantro

2 (2 1/2-inch) skinless salmon fillets

1 bunch watercress

1 cucumber

1 pint coconut ice cream

Game Plan

30 minutes before: Trim bok choy, lemon grass and red chiles.

25 minutes before: Bring soup stock ingredients to a boil.

23 minutes before: Make vinaigrette.

20 minutes before: Stir coconut milk into stock and simmer.

18 minutes before: Trim watercress and slice cucumber; set aside in refrigerator.

15 minutes before: Add baby bok choy to broth, cover and let simmer.

12 minutes before: Add salmon fillets to pot, cover and simmer gently.

7 minutes before: Uncover pot and turn off the heat.

5 minutes before: Toss salad with vinaigrette.

Watercress and Cucumber Salad

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 10 minutes * Easy * Vegan

Juice of 1/2 lime, about 2 tablespoons

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt, pepper

1 cucumber, peeled

1 bunch watercress

* Whisk together lime juice, oil and salt and pepper to taste in bowl.

* With vegetable peeler, start “peeling” already peeled cucumber to produce paper-thin cucumber strips. Rotate cucumber as you “peel” to avoid cutting into soft, seeded center.

* Cut off thickest part of watercress stems, about 1 inch from base. Toss watercress and cucumber strips with vinaigrette in large bowl to coat.

2 servings. Each serving: 272 calories, 185 mg sodium, 0 cholesterol, 27 grams fat, 7 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 1.50 grams fiber.

Salmon Poached in Coconut Broth

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 stalk lemon grass, sliced thinly

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

2 thin slices serrano or red chile

1/2 tablespoon chile oil (optional)

1/2 cup coconut milk, creamy and watery layers stirred together

4 heads baby bok choy, tough stems removed

2 (2 1/2-inch) skinless salmon fillets

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

* Bring stock, lemon grass, fish sauce, chile and chile oil to boil in small pot.

Add coconut milk to stock, mix well, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Fat from coconut milk will separate at first but will reincorporate as mixture heats through. Add whole baby bok choy leaves, cover and cook 3 minutes. Add salmon fillets, making sure to submerge fillets as much as possible in broth. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Arrange bed of bok choy in bottom of soup bowl. Top with salmon and then ladle in broth. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

2 servings. Each serving: 264 calories; 1881 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 2.60 gram fiber.