Foodie Mom: Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce

Since I went grocery shopping last night after I had already fed the kids and pre-made me and the hubs and mine dinner, I didn't end up cooking anything that I bought. So for tonights dinner I wanted to prepare what would probably be the best thing to use out of the fridge first, freshness wise. This would be the salmon filets I bought. Now normally this isn't an item that I purchase in hopes that I will use it. This is a recipe that I found on ( what else but pintrest!) last week, and I have been itching to make it.

Depending on what I'm cooking, sometimes I do the my prep work (chopping veggies, marinating meat making side items to reheat later) over the course of the day. Being a stay at home mom with 2 little ones running around, I don't usually have the luxury to set aside a few hours to focus on cooking a big meal all at once. A lot of things I do ahead of time when I have a spare minute or 2, so at dinner time it all comes together quite smoothly, because we all know the majority of cooking is the prep work.

So, this morning I knew (because I had already read the recipe I was going to use) that I needed to make the marinade for the salmon so it could get happy in the fridge for the majority of the day. Now the marinade for this starts out on the stove - so you must remember to let this cool down to room temp before you stick it with the salmon.

Teriyaki Marinade:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons honey

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, honey and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

After you are sure that this is completely cooled down to room temp, combine this and the salmon in a large gallon zip lock bag and throw it in the fridge to marinate. You can do this for as little as 30 minutes, but the longer you leave it the more flavorful it will be.

The other step in this recipe, besides actually cooking the salmon, is making the sriracha cream sauce. This is also something you can prep ahead of time. And actually might be a fun thing to keep in the fridge and use on other things as well, because it is really tasty! I made a double batch of this and put it in an old rinsed out squeeze bottle I saved.

Sriracha Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons Sriracha
1 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

To make the Sriracha cream sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Sriracha and condensed milk in a small bowl. Taste for spiciness and add more Sriracha as needed; set aside.

Now, these are the two main things you need to prep ahead of time for this dish. I am going to be serving my salmon with Jasmine rice and a salad on the side (which is what I usually have with most of my dinners unless there is a specific veggie that I'm going to make).

Lastly:

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees, Lightly coat an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick spray, place salmon and marinade in dish and bake for about 20 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork.