Meal Inspiration (or How I Build a Meal from My STOCKED Kitchen)

This is an example of how I put together a quick week-night meal. Sometimes it starts with the main (or protein) and sometimes, like this example, it starts with a side.

Salmon with Golden Milk Sauce, Peanut Broccoli Slaw & Pan-Fried Potatoes

The Original Inspiration - Broccoli Slaw
We had dinner at my sister’s a few nights ago. She made roasted broccoli, but only used the florets. There were 3 large stems leftover, which I took home to use for a slaw, because I remembered that I had leftover peanut sauce in the fridge.

The sauce was much spicier than I remembered (or maybe it got hotter sitting in the fridge.) So, I mixed it with some mayonnaise to calm the heat and thin it out a bit. I grated the broccoli stems and a carrot in a food processor; mixed with the peanut / mayo sauce and voila’ – Broccoli Slaw!

The Protein
I defrosted 2 pieces of salmon. But how to season them? I thought about something Asian, specifically Chinese, to go with the peanut sauce, but my husband ate leftover Chicken Stir fry for lunch, so I wanted to go in another direction. Still Asian, but what about a more Indian-y variation?

I defrosted a container of coconut milk, that was leftover when I used only part of a container some time ago. I mixed about half with curry powder and marinated the fish in it.

The Sauce
I still had about a cup of coconut milk left, so it occurred to me that I could make a sauce. I mixed up a quick roux (1 TBSP soft butter + 1 TBSP flour) to thicken it.

Another Side
The meal needed another side. I thought about using an acorn squash, but decided on a potato. (Not rice, because husband had rice with his stir fry lunch.) I wanted to keep it simple. I scrubbed the potato, cut it into thick slices, and boiled them in salted water until soft, but still firm enough to hold together as slices. 

​Getting it Done
About 15 minutes before mealtime, I started cooking everything at the same time.

1. I heated up the coconut milk in a small sauce pan, started the salmon (skin side up) in a small skillet, and the potato slices in a larger skillet in some melted butter. 
2. When small bubbles appeared in the milk, I turned down the heat, whisked some of the hot milk into the roux, then added the roux back into the pot, whisking the whole time. I seasoned with salt and pepper, but a quick taste told me it need something more. I added some leftover Golden Milk and a little more curry powder, whisked until smooth and turned way down to lowest fire.
3. Then I turned the fish and the potatoes over. Fish finished first, so I moved it to a smaller burner with a very low flame to stay warm and crisped up the potatoes on both sides.

Everything cooked in about 15 minutes and got done at the same time. I plated the meal when my husband finished his last work call for the day.