As some of you know, for the past three months I’ve been recovering from a broken hip. When I first returned to my kitchen a few weeks after my fall, I needed a walker. Several weeks later I graduated to a cane, and this month I’m thrilled to be sautéing and grilling on my own two feet! I’m limiting my repertoire to simple dishes that do not require a lot of time, but that both look and taste delicious. Sesame Coated Salmon with an Asian Noodle Salad certainly falls into this category. It’s a quick, stylish entrée (which I featured in a newspaper column quite a few years ago) and it still has its panache.
For the salad, thin rice noodles (available in the Asian section of most supermarkets) cook in boiling water for only a few minutes. When drained, the strands are tossed with lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. These ingredients provide respectively tart, salty, sweet, and hot notes. Then paper-thin cucumber slices, mint, and cilantro are added.
For the salmon fillets the flesh sides are brushed with beaten egg, coated with sesame seeds, pan-seared for a few minutes, and then finished in the oven.
The coral-hued salmon with its crispy sesame seed crust and moist flesh beneath pairs beautifully with the refreshing taste of the cellophane noodle salad. Add blanched peas, sugar snaps, or snow peas to round out the menu. Count on about 15 minutes to prepare the noodles, and less than 20 to prep and cook the salmon. Voilà! You’ve got a perfect dish for easy spring entertaining!
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Sesame Coated Salmon with Asian Noodle Salad
Salad
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (4 to 5 or more limes)
1/4 cup fish sauce (See cooking tip.)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more if needed
4 ounces rice noodles (See cooking tip.)
1 medium unpeeled cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into paper-thin slices
1/3 cup finely julienned mint leaves plus 4 sprigs for garnish
5 teaspoons chopped cilantro
Kosher salt, optional
Salmon
1/2 cup sesame seeds
Four 6-ounce salmon fillets, about 1 inch thick
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive or vegetable oil
4 thick lime wedges for garnish
1.For salad, in a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Cook rice noodles according to package directions, 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Drain and transfer to a large, nonreactive mixing bowl. Using scissors, snip the noodles in a several places to shorten strands. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the lime juice mixture and mix well. (Salad can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) One hour before serving, stir in cucumbers, mint, and cilantro and let sit at room temperature. Season with salt and more red pepper flakes if desired.
2.To cook salmon, arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spread sesame seeds on a dinner plate. Brush flesh sides of fillets with some beaten egg white, season with salt and pepper, then dip fillets, flesh sides down, in sesame seeds to coat well.
3.Place a large, heavy oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of pan lightly. When oil is hot, add salmon, seeded sides down, and cook until sesame seeds are light golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and turn fillets so seeded sides face up. Place skillet in oven and roast until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully and do not overcook.
4.Drizzle salmon fillets with remaining 2 tablespoons lime mixture. Garnish each fillet with a lime wedge (to squeeze over salmon) and with a mound of the salad garnished with a mint sprig.
Cooking tips: Fish sauce and rice noodles (often sold in 8- ounce rather than 4- ounce packages) are available in the Asian section of most groceries or in Asian food markets.
Copyright Betty Rosbottom 2026
