Don't give up! Korean Salmon Bowl

There is always that time when we just don't know what it is we are going to make for dinner. Add this to a theme week and that is culinary paralysis. It is Wednesday. Liam and Haylie are coming for dinner. In my mind I saw us all sitting around the table, with a Korean barbeque cooker in the center of the table, super hot, around it were different vegetables and meats for us to place on the hot cast surface, searing up savory little bites to place into lettuce wraps with fermented bean paste, kimchi, samjan, chili crisp and beautiful banchan.

The reality was I had no time to prep. I did an early morning, before-work grocery shopping which then rolled right into a full workday, then right into dinner time. So there were no meats thawed and finely sliced. The banchan prep has not even started. I had bought 2 pounds of salmon at the fish counter earlier. That is usually our go-to easy meal, salt, pepper, olive oil, and out onto the hot grill on the porch, then topped with a lemon garlic aioli. Easy peasy. Not so fast! This is Korea week and I am not getting away with dinner that easily.

Salmon is not a fish traditionally found in Korea. In fact, Korea only recently became obsessed with salmon after perfecting large farming operations. Salmon not being traditional Korean food is not going to stop me. After all, in a world where you can take vanilla ice cream, top that with peanut butter, and then top that with wasabi and have it knock your socks off, this is not a stretch.

Nice bulgogi flavors infused into chunky cubes of salmon marinated in soy, mirin garlic, and ginger, with a gochujang glaze, air fried then served on white rice, baby cucumbers, beansprouts with a spicy and savory dressing, and kimchi. It was true to the Korean theme for this week. The best part is that the cubed salmon cooks for 5 to 6 minutes in the air fryer.

I always get this weird sort of idea that I might fall back one night and just surrender. I might tell myself that circumstances just were not there to do a Korean-influenced meal tonight. I am happy to report that day was not today. I have to say, that makes me feel good. It is nice to stay the course. When I consider giving up, I cannot help but think of the late Julie Powel (Julie and Julia). She stuck with Mastering the Art of French Cooking for 365 days! There is no way that I am going to wimp out. No!

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