Salmon with hoisin, orange and bok choy

I ate like a king for lunch today. I took roughly 20 minutes to prepare a healthy meal that tasted like the creation of a top-notch chef in a five-star restaurant. It was absolutely splendid. Since I started blogging my cooking experiences, I have never eaten so well as I have over the past month. I've had a lot of fun, too.

I found a recipe for salmon with hoisin, orange and bok choy in Bon Appetit. It was perfect because I haven't prepared fish for this blog yet and I'm currently obsessed with bok choy. The stalks of this Asian leafy green are crunchy and mild, and the leaves are cabbagelike. It's among the top cancer-fighting picks in the produce aisle, thanks to its high levels of antioxidants glucosinolate and indole, at least that's what Men's Health told me. I've also found it to be very versatile, and, if I'm being honest, I love saying "bok choy" in the checkout line when the cashier asks what it is. It makes me feel so cultured.

The fish that I used was a frozen fillet of sockeye salmon. I thawed it overnight and cut off the skin before cooking it. I formed a bed of bok choy in the center of two 12-inch square pieces of foil and placed the fish on top. I mixed orange juice, hoisin, ginger, green onions and orange peel in a small bowl and spread it over the fish with a spoon. I sprinkled it with ground coriander and chopped cilantro before folding the sides of the foil. I tightly sealed the foil above the fish, completely enclosing the contents, and placed it on a baking sheet. The fish baked at 425-degrees for almost 15 minutes. I transferred everything to plates and served with rice.

The fish had a very sweet flavor from the hoisin and orange, but the cilantro gave it a very "green" flavor, too. I couldn't believe how great it tasted considering how easy it was to prepare. It was a terrific lunch and would have impressed many guests at a fancy dinner, too. The combination of fish and bok choy was stellar. I'll definitely be repeating this one in the future.

Ingredients:
2 heads of baby bok choy, each cut lengthwise into 6 wedges
2 5- to 6-ounce salmon fillets
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Music: Britt Nicole - How the Lost Get Found
Weather: 48-degrees