A Dinner Party with Vietnamese Salmon

Last night my step-mom and dad came to see my place in North Beach and have dinner. They're bigger foodies than me and I wanted to make sure I made something tasty that I also couldn't mess up too badly. Plus, my dad showed up in a suit (he came from work, but still. If your dad shows up to dinner at your house wearing a suit, you better have something nice to serve him that you can make under pressure!)

One of my old fallbacks is a recipe from the SF Chronicle from a couple years ago, before salmon became as scarce as they are this season. This is such a great dish though, that I had to make it.

The recipe for seared salmon with spicy mango sauce was provided by Ana Mandara, a Vietnamese fusion restaurant in the city. I follow the recipe exactly (except for the amount of time it cooks. My pan must have never gotten that hot so I've always had to cook it a bit longer than 2 minutes per side).

One note--fish sauce smells not so nice out of the bottle but added to the sauce it makes a comforting, savory smell and taste. Don't omit it! The mango sauce on its own is delicious, and it's a perfect complement to the salmon.

Adding the sauce to the fillets

I added jasmine rice and a seaweed/kale deli salad from Whole Foods, plus fresh berries drizzled with a little meyer lemon syrup for dessert (Reid says he's never heard me talk more about any food than meyer lemons. I say for good reason, they're amazing!).

We all had a good time, and talk turned to our next meal together for the first night of Passover, this weekend.



I have to say, I've never cooked for my parents before but it's a very satisfying feeling to cook for your family and provide them with nourishing and tasty food.

Happy eater