The ebony-blue, bursty blackberry fruit was just too pretty to pass up at the market the other day, so I picked up 2 pints, one for breakfast (plain yogurt with a generous drizzle of honey and then topped with the berries) and the other pint to experiment with. I was thinking: Sauce. Brandy. Salmon.

But that night, disaster. Three times I had failed to concoct a stellar sauce. First, too candy sweet, then too annoyingly seedy and the last attempt, I had accidentally added brandy in twice, way too boozy. With no more blackberries to play with, what’s a defeated cook to do, but collapse in a pathetic, wilted heap on the kitchen floor and slam shots of the last tragedy. I gave up.

“Ay ya…young grasshoppa, learn from your mistakes, you will.” Okay, so sure, that voice sounded more Yoda than Confucious, but I really did stop and think about what is that one thing that makes someone a great cook. Because it’s not culinary education (Me ain’t got none), experience in a restaurant (never worked at one before), nor is it the ability to follow recipes to the “T” (can barely color inside the lines, much less follow instructions.)

And then it came to me after trickling down the last bit of blackberry sauce. The element that I was missing was that sour tang, a bright note to cut the sweetness in the sauce and tame the saltiness of the fish. “Ah-ha, grasshoppa! Balance flavors, you must.” The reason why Thai and Vietnamese food is so appealing is that every single dish is a harmonious balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy, or as it’s known and easy to remember, the “four S’s”

I grabbed the kids and took off to the market to buy more blackberries, returned home and tried again. Pachinko! Sauce, splendidly harmonized in my Salmon with Blackberry Brandy Sauce.

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If I were stuck on a deserted tropical island with an oven, this is what I would make. On a deserted tropical island, life seems to stand still, there’s no crinkly shirts to iron, no snarly traffic and most importantly, no alarm clocks or Microsoft Outlook. You’ve got time and you’ve got plenty of fish. I’m going to teach you about the magic of low ‘n slow tropical island salmon - once you try this method, you’ll never cook fish another way. Welllll….unless you want to try:

• Steamed Chinese Fish
• Grilled Whole FIsh on Banana Leaf

But I digress…. Low and slow is the ticket to most tender, succulent and true-to-flavor food, just like my number one favorite recipe in the whole wide world Baby Back Ribs with Asian Orange-Ginger Glaze proves.

The concept is simple

When you cook fish on high heat - the proteins immediately seize up - which is why it’s so easy to overcook fish, and end up with dry, chalky and tough piece of seafood. I mean, if you were set on a blazing hot bed of coals, you’d seize up too, screaming, “HOLY SHIT THAT’S HOT!”

Now…lets think sauna…jacuzzi…You see, gentle cooking breaks DOWN the meat, giving it a chance to relax…chill out…have a margherita….get a tan. For fish, low and slow creates the most dreamy, silky-smooth, melt in your mouth texture. And the surprise…the cooking is so gentle that the fully cooked salmon looks almost EXACTLY like it did before cooking.

Salmon before cooking….

Salmon cooked 250F for 25 minutes….

A little peek at the inside - yes, it looks exactly like it does pre-cooked, but it’s cooked to a silky texture.

Those purple flowers are from my Ginger Mint Herb. The lavender color is just gorgeous!

Slow Cooked Salmon

This recipe is SO easy and lazy that I’m not even going to give you the traditional formatted recipe. Improvise, make it your own and have fun. This is truly lazy at its finest. The salmon cooks on a bed of either sliced onions, citrus or herbs - the bed serves a purpose. When you slow cook salmon, some of the proteins break down and can cook out. The bed helps any fats and proteins drain away. Plus, the fish gets gently perfumed with whatever you use for the bed

4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets (1 per person)

Choose ingredients below:

Seasonings	Bed	Finishing (after cooking, top with)
(PHOTO ABOVE) brush w/cooking oil, salt, pepper, ground coriander, top with orange slices	thin sliced oranges and onions	crushed macadamia nuts, mint
brush w/oil, salt, pepper, brown sugar	sliced ginger, green scallion sections	minced scallions
brush w/honey, salt, pepper	thin sliced fennel pulb	parsley, more thinly sliced fennel
(PHOTO BELOW) brush with honey, salt, pepper	sliced oranges, lemons	sweetened coconut flakes, diced mango, papaya, red onion, golden raisins
brush with oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder	sliced red onions	fresh mango salsa

How to cook salmon low and slow

1. Preheat to 250F.  Season salmon and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. <- important. Otherwise the time in the oven will be devoted to un-chilling your salmon, instead of cooking it. Grab a pan big enough to hold all fillets in single layer. Make bed of whatever ingredients you’ve chosen.

2. Place the salmon fillets on the bed you’ve made. Cook for 30 minutes. [if you're cooking more than 4 fillets, just add another 2 minutes per additional filet] To test for doneness, stick a sharp paring knife in, if it goes in an out very easily, its done. Even if you leave it in the oven for an extra few minutes, don’t worry, it is impossible to overcook the salmon this way….unless you, uh, leave it in the oven for a week.

3. Top with whatever finishing herbs, spices or ingredients you’ve chosen. After cooking, the salmon is going to look almost exactly the same as when you first put it in. Don’t worry, after 30 minutes in the oven it is cooked.

If you generally like your tuna seared, or you like your salmon “medium rare” - you must try this recipe. Low and slow really does capture and deliver what the ingredients should taste like exactly. The salmon still retains all of its gorgeous color, even when fully cooked. The texture and flavor is sublime!

p.s. I found a can of spices at my local gourmet market. Its called JUNGLE BOOGIE!!! Isn’t that just too cool? With a name like that, who cares what kind of spice it was, I just had to try it! <– see, I wasn’t joking! “Naturally organic. Fresh dried granulated mango, banana, pineapple, coconut, herbs, roasted garlic and roasted red/green bell peppers” Naturally, its made by a company called Bad Bone. Sadly, Bad Bone is a goner. No longer in business. Someone, quick, create a spice blend with those same ingredients and sell!!! I will be your number one fan.

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If you like this recipe, I know you’ll love:

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Asian Salmon Burgers

Makes 4 patties

1 lb Salmon Filet, minced into 1/4″ dice or smaller
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (best to use a garlic press)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Hoisin
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Red Onion, minced
1 Egg, beaten
Additional 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce to brush on burger
4 Burger buns, lettuce, tomato slices, mayonnaise

1. In a small bowl, combine ginger, garlic, soy, hoisin, sesame oil, and egg.

2. In a large bowl, combine the salmon, red onion and 1/4c of the Panko. (Set aside the remaining Panko in a shallow bowl.)

3. Add the liquid ingredients to the salmon mixture. Shape the salmon into 4 burger patties. Carefully dredge each burger in the remaining Panko.

4. Cover and refrigerate burgers for at least 1 hour up to 4 hours. 5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Fry burgers (don’t overcrowd!) 2 minutes on first side, Turn. Fry second side 1 minute. Brush a small amount of Hoisin on the tops of the burgers. 6. Bake in oven for 3 minutes, or until cooked through. If you like your salmon medium rare, only bake for 2 minutes. Serve with buns, lettuce, tomato slices.