Ideal fare for Labor Day

By Betty Rosbottom
Los Angeles Times Syndicate

(Los Angeles Times Syndicate) -- Several weeks ago at a summer buffet, I was dazzled by a roasted fillet of salmon which was part of the main-course offerings. Served whole, the fish had a rich, golden brown exterior and light, juicy flesh beneath. After a few bites, I found one of the hosts and asked how the salmon had been prepared.

"Oh, we just brushed the fillet with soy sauce and then cooked it," she quickly replied before rushing to attend to other entertaining tasks.

Days later, I decided to try the technique myself, but when I telephoned to ask if any other ingredients had been used I learned that my friends were out of town. I remembered a sauce made with soy sauce, dark molasses, ginger, garlic and vinegar, which I often use for pork; maybe a revised version would work on salmon. I combined soy sauce with molasses, lime juice and fresh ginger and used most of this mixture as a marinade, then reduced the remainder into a thick, syrupy glaze for coating the fish after grilling. And it worked!

I was so enthusiastic about this new dish that I invited another couple to try the salmon with us. They offered to bring coleslaw and a blueberry pie, and I bought summer green beans and corn on the cob to complete our menu.

At the table everyone commented on the beautiful color of the salmon and its delectable taste, but something else tempted my palate as well. It was the unusual coleslaw, which included chopped Spanish olives. When I asked about this unique variation, our friend explained that years ago when her mother was making coleslaw one day, she discovered too late that she was out of vinegar and added chopped olives instead. That serendipitous creation has remained one of her family's favorite recipes ever since. It was a perfect accompaniment to the barbecued salmon with its slightly tart rather than sweet taste.

With Labor Day right around the corner, the barbecued salmon and olive coleslaw would make ideal fare to serve at a casual get-together. The salmon is best cooked over a grill, but if rain is predicted it can be roasted in the oven with fine results.

Although the following recipes for both the salmon and slaw serve four, you can double or triple the ingredients for a larger gathering.

• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup molasses, if possible, unsulfured molasses
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
• 1 (2- to 2 1/2-pound) salmon fillet
• 1 lime, thinly sliced, for garnish

Combine soy sauce, molasses, lime juice and ginger in small nonreactive bowl and whisk to blend. Reserve 1/3 cup for glaze. Pour rest in shallow nonreactive dish.

Place salmon on work surface and run fingers over flesh and remove any bones you feel with clean tweezers. Place salmon, flesh side down, in marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, place reserved marinade in small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until mixture is reduced to syrupy glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside at room temperature.

When ready to cook salmon, prepare grill. Oil rack well and arrange 4 to 5 inches from heat source. When fire is ready, place salmon, skin side down, on grill and cook 10 minutes. If you have grill with lid, cover grill with lid (with vents open) after first 10 minutes. Otherwise, tent salmon loosely with foil.

Continue to cook until flesh is opaque and flakes easily when pierced with sharp knife and edges of salmon are browned, 10 to 15 minutes more or longer. Watch carefully as cooking time can vary depending on thickness of fish and intensity of heat. When done, remove salmon from grill and with sharp knife cut off and discard skin.

Arrange salmon on heated serving platter and brush top of fish with glaze. Garnish top of salmon with lime slices. Cut into 4 equal pieces.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: To roast salmon, arrange rack at center position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place salmon on foil-lined baking sheet and cook until flesh is opaque and flakes easily when pierced with sharp knife, 10 to 14 minutes, depending on thickness of fish.

• 1 (2-pound) head cabbage, with attractive outer leaves
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 heaping cup (5 1/2- to 6-ounce jar) Spanish olives stuffed with pimientos, sliced
• 3 tablespoons best-quality prepared mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons chopped chives

Remove outer leaves from cabbage. Rinse and pat dry. Store in plastic food bag in refrigerator until ready to garnish slaw.

Quarter cabbage and remove and discard tough inner cores. Cut quarters into 1/4-inch-wide strips and chop strips finely. Measure enough to make 8 cups. Place in medium mixing bowl. Add carrots and olives to bowl. Stir in mayonnaise and mix well. Let mixture stand at cool room temperature or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or longer.

To serve, line shallow bowl with cabbage leaves. Stir chives into slaw and mound in bowl.

Makes 4 very generous servings.