Honey Chili Glazed Salmon with Coconut Tapioca Pearls and Mint Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

By Recipe Contributor January 28, 2021

Recipe courtesy of Joseph Leonardi, CMC, AAC, Director of Culinary Operations with The Country Club (Chestnut Hill, Mass.).

Ingredients for Salmon:
sunflower oil - 2 Tbsps.
2-ozs. 1/2" thick salmon mignons - 4 ea.
shallot - 1 Tbsp., small dice
garlic - 1 Tbsp., minced
red fresno pepper - 1 tsp., seeded, sliced thin
ginger - 1 tsp., minced
white wine - 2 ozs.
stock - 3/4 cup (fish or vegetable, make sure it's not sweet)
Leonardi Chili Honey - 2 Tbsps.
scallions - 1 tsp., white
lime - 1/2 ea., juiced
Ingredients for Coconut Tapioca Pearls:
EVOO - 1/2 Tbsp.
onion - diced
cilantro stems - 1/4 cup
ginger - 1 Tbsp., grated
garlic clove - 1 lg., sliced
coriander seeds - 1/4 tsp.
fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp.
white wine - 1/4 cup
coconut milk - 1 can
mirin - 1/2 tsp.
tapioca, cooked - 1 cup
Thai basil - 2 Tbsps., chiffonade
Chef’s note: Take ¾ cup of dried tapioca and cook in salted boiling water to yield 1 cup cooked.
Ingredients For Mint Fish Sauce Vinaigrette:
fish sauce - 1 Tbsp.
lime - 1 ea., zested and juiced
fresh ginger - 1/2 tsp., minced
raw honey - 1 Tbsp.
scallion - 1 Tbsp., sliced
mint - 1 Tbsp., chiffonade

Procedure for salmon:

Place sunflower oil in a heated sauté pan. Season salmon with salt and pepper and brown on one side. Remove salmon from pan.
Add shallots, garlic and fresno pepper to the pan and cook for about a minute or two. Add ginger and continue to cook.
Deglaze with white wine and let reduce by half. Add stock, honey and scallions. Cook to incorporate the ingredients and add back the salmon, brown side up. Squeeze lime juice into sauce pan.
Ladle glaze over the salmon and continue to cook until salmon is cooked.
To plate: Lay salmon portion over Tapioca pearls and spoon vinaigrette over top.

Procedure for Coconut Tapioca Pearls:

Heat EVOO in a saucepan and sauté onion, cilantro stems, ginger, garlic, coriander seeds and fennel seeds.
Deglaze with white wine, reduce and add coconut milk and mirin. Reduce by three-quarters to half.
Add cooked tapioca and mix until incorporated.
Fold in Thai basil.

Procedure For Mint Fish Sauce Vinaigrette: