A cautionary tale

Frank Sinatra playing in the background. An aromatic scent of teriyaki salmon and cheese fondue wafting through the air. A candle-lit table set for two. Sounds like the beginning of a perfect evening, right?

Not in my case. This week I decided to surprise my boyfriend with a gourmet-style dinner, complete with salad, appetizer, main course, and dessert. When he walked into my apartment, he was greeted not with the romantic scene mentioned above; rather, he heard the smoke alarm blaring, smelled burnt flesh, and saw me bawling on the couch with a cold compress on my arm. He also saw teriyaki sauce splattered all over the kitchen, a 400 degree pan steaming in the sink, and salmon all over the floor.

I had just taken the salmon out of the oven. My kitchen is minuscule, so when I sat the pan on the counter, it was just barely balanced on the edge. In my rush to get the timing just right, I hit the pan and catapulted the fish into the air. Luckily, I moved enough to keep the food from hitting my face, but my arm wasn't as fast as the rest of me. Teriyaki sauce--400 degree teriyaki sauce--splattered my arm and stuck there. No amount of shaking (or screaming) would make it come off. I dashed to the sink and was able to rinse cold water on it enough to prevent a 3rd degree burn, but I'm quite certain I am bordering on 2nd degree now. Burns hurt. A lot.

Luckily, we were able to salvage the rest of the meal and the evening wasn't quite ruined. But there is a lesson to be learned here: BE CAREFUL! Move slowly in the kitchen. And if you have a tiny kitchen, well...move even slower.

Here's the recipe for the salmon I tried to make. It's relatively inexpensive (I found frozen fillets at Kroger for five bucks!) and I'm guessing it tastes delicious. Let me know how it goes for you all.

You will need:
cooking spray
1 pound salmon fillets (about 3)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 clove of garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. I'll say it again...this is HOT (haha). Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and put on the sheet. Grab a small bowl and whisk the remaining ingredients (if you're using fresh garlic, you'll want to mince it--chop it into tiny pieces--first). Granted, you can always use store-bought teriyaki sauce; it's faster and easier. But how impressive is it to say that you made your own sauce? So whichever sauce you're using, hand-made or store-bought, pour it over your salmon. Pop it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The sauce on the pan will carmalize; don't worry about that. The fish is done when it's "fork tender," that is, when you push at it with a fork it comes apart.

I was planning on serving mine with linguine, if you're looking for a side dish. I'm hoping to give this another shot, so let me know what you think of it if you try it out.