Salmon Pho

What the heck is Pho? Well it's my new obsession.  More specifically it is a Vietnamese Noodle Soup...Mmm.  I've usually had chicken, steak or meatballs in my Pho so I was intrigued when I stumbled upon this recipe in Cuisine at Home. Salmon? Why not? This recipe makes two large servings.  Perfect for two people or just one and another bowl for leftovers!

My favorite salmon to smoke at home is Scottish Salmon. You can order it online at Chef's Fresh Fish. It has a buttery texture...clean (not fishy!) taste and it's super fatty. High in Omega-3's. Even better? Sushi-grade.

Ingredients:

-1 1/4 thinly sliced white onion

-1 Tbsp minced ginger

-1 Tbsp minced garlic

-1 Tbsp vegetable oil

-2 cups water

-3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

-2 Tbsp fish sauce

-1 Tbsp sugar + additional 1 tsp

-1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

-3 whole cloves

-1 bunch fresh cilantro

-Fresh or dried Shiitake mushrooms

-6 oz of fresh Scottish Salmon fillet, thinly sliced

-1/2 tsp ground coriander 

-1/2 cup shredded carrots

-1/4 cup chopped green onions

-1 cup cooked rice-stick noodles

Optional for garnish:

-fresh bean sprouts

-additional chopped green onions

-torn fresh mint leaves

-torn fresh basil leaves

-sliced jalapeño pepper

-lime wedges

-Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce aka "Cock" Sauce

-Hoisin Sauce

I know this seems like a lot of ingredients, but I promise it's easy and well worth it.  To start the broth, saute 1 cup of thinly sliced onion, ginger and garlic in 1 Tbsp vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large pot.  I cheated a bit and used both jar ginger and jar minced garlic.  

Next, add water, broth, fish sauce, 1 Tbsp sugar, soy sauce, cloves, cilantro stems (reserve the leaves), and whole dried mushrooms (or just the stems of fresh ones).  I used dried because I had them in my pantry.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer broth for 20 minutes. 

While the broth is a boilin' take this time to prepare your salmon, soak and cook your rice-stick noodles and assemble your garnish plate.  Slice the salmon fairly thin and sprinkle each slice with 1 tsp sugar, coriander, salt and pepper.  

For my garnish plate I used green onions, cilantro leaves, sliced jalapeños, thinly sliced onions and bean sprouts.  Feel free to use whatever you would like from the list above...or get creative and add your own!

Lastly, prepare the rice-stick noodles according to the package directions.  Some just say to soak the noodles, others say to soak and then boil.  I only soaked mine and kind of wished I would have boiled them for a couple minutes as well.  They were a little stiff for my liking. 

After your broth is done simmering for about 20-30 minutes use a fine mesh stainer or sieve to separate the solids from liquids.  Just don't forget to put another large pot under the strainer...you want to KEEP THE LIQUID. :)

All the solids can be discarded unless you used dried Shiitake mushrooms and would like to remove the stems, chop and add them to your soup. Put the broth back on the stove

Bring your broth back to a boil and add the carrots, mushroom caps (re-hydrated or fresh), 1/4 cup green onions, 1/4 cup thinly sliced onions,  and 1 Tbsp cilantro leaves. Stir the soup.

In 2 large bowls evenly divide the raw salmon and noodles. Using a ladle pour the boiling soup and contents over the fish.  The boiling hot broth will cook the salmon perfectly! How easy is that? 

My favorite part of Pho is using a mixture of Hoisin Sauce (sweet) and Sriracha Chili Sauce (hot) to dip my veggies, salmon and noodles in.  You can even add these sauces directly to your soup to the adjust seasoning! 

Grab some chopsticks, a fork if you're not as daring and spoon! Enjoy!

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