Salmon with Steamed Cucumber & Turnips

I have this nifty way of cooking fish on top of the stove so that there is minimal fuss and mess and no fishy smell.

As you may be aware, reading my posts, I do a lot of stove-top cooking, sauteing and steaming meals in an iron skillet.

I prefer my cast iron skillet over other fry pans because it's solid and versatile.

And since iron skillets are absent plastic handles and heat-sensitive non-stick surfaces, they can go from the top of the stove into the oven with ease.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a recipe for DuckEgg Cornbread, which I baked in the oven in a skillet lined with foil.

The salmon in today's meal idea is also cooked in foil in a skillet (with lid on), but on top of the stove rather than in the oven.

The fish gently steam cooks in its marinade (pic to left), and because it's enclosed in foil, I can toss vegetables around the skillet and they'll cook separately but at the same time (pic below).

The beauty of this method is that I can prepare a complete meal (for two) in one pan, without the fish flavor and smells permeating the vegetables, the pan and the kitchen!

I chose to make this dish with wild-caught Sockeye salmon, which I'd bought frozen -- two fillets to a pack.

The frozen variety is economical, yet the flavor is not always great, so I usually marinade previously frozen fish.

For the vegetables, I picked turnips and their leafy-green tops from the garden, some organic carrots at the bottom of the fridge, and an organic cucumber I'd picked up on sale at the market.

Salmon with Steamed Cucumber & Turnips
1) Place your choice of fish on top of a piece of foil (enough to wrap around the fish).
2) Over the fish drizzle some olive oil, Braggs Liquid Aminos or Tamari or Soy Sauce.
3) Add to that a chunk of peeled and chopped ginger root, and the same of garlic or green onions or shallots. And you might like to also add a splash of orange or lemon juice.
4) Allow the fish to sit in the marinade in the foil for at least 30 mins.
5) Meanwhile, wash and chop a selection of vegetables. As I mention above, I used baby turnips, and their green tops, carrot, and cucumber.
Note: We think of cucumber as a salad vegetable, but it's wonderful cooked; it turns transparent, soft and juicy, while still maintaining its distinct cucumber flavor.
6) Now turn the fish over in the foil a few times, coating it with the marinade. Fold the foil over the fish, creating a sealed packet (see pic above), and then place the foil pack in the center of the skillet.
7) Scatter the chopped veggies around the fish, and if you have any more ginger bits, scatter those over the vegetables; drizzle a couple tablespoons water and oil over the veggies too.
7) Put a lid on the skillet and turn the stove-top heat to low and allow the fish and veggies to gently steam for about 10-15 mins.

To Serve: Onto a plate or large bowl, spoon a portion of vegetables. Unwrap the foil, gently lift the fish out with an egg lifter and place it over the veggies. Pour the juice, ginger and garlic bits from the foil over the fish. Garnish with chives or green onions or parsley or dill.