Siani Sumlin
I'm not a trained chef. All of my kitchen adventures are born from a single ingredient that develops into a flavor profile, which then makes its way into a pot or pan with my fingers crossed and good intentions in abundance.
This recipe came from my desire to cook for a friend's birthday, but this particular friend has many food allergies. Knowing that one more chicken breast would probably send her off a cliff like Thelma & Louise sans the romp in the hay with Brad Pitt or the classic baby blue Thunderbird, I opted for fish, and one can never really go wrong with salmon.
Now that I had my ingredient, it was time to head to my pantry to see where this recipe might be headed...
The first item that appeared in my line of sight when I opened the pantry door was a jar of Tamarind paste, BOOM! I had my flavor inspiration. My mouth started to water and I could already taste my final creation even though a flame hadn't been lit. I quickly went to work - mixing up an elixir that would infuse the tender pink fillets that lay upon cutting board.
So without further ado - let's get started !
Tamarind Marinade
1/4 c tamarind paste (no sugar added)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp lemon grass
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp Splenda
The above will yield enough marinade for 1 lb. of fish with approx 220 calories for the batch.