Peppery Salmon Potstickers (Gyoza) with Dipping Sauce

I have a love-hate relationship with potstickers aka “gyoza”. I love how they taste and how quickly they cook, but they’re a little time consuming to assemble and their firm grasp at the bottom of my aging nonstick pan very loudly reminds me that I need to replace it.

After scraping and cursing my first batch from the pan (which I unabashedly served to my friends), I was pleasantly surprised at how they tasted! Everyone who ate them seemed to really enjoy them, which is why I felt OK about submitting it as another entry into the Barhyte Specialty Foods recipe contest.

Like I said, these require a bit more work than the frozen ones you buy at the store, but they freeze extremely well and only require a little more water and a couple of extra minutes in the pan to cook.

Here’s a pic of some potstickers after they were frozen. When they’re solid, just toss them into a freezer-safe zip-top bag and take a dozen or so out as you need them. Serve them as appetizers or with some rice or stir-fried vegetables as a main course.

Oh, yeah. One of the requirements for the contest was to have the product somewhere (not necessarily predominantly) in the photo with the prepared dish. I, uh. . . totally spaced it until we were halfway through dinner and the only potstickers left were half-eaten, and strewn around my girls’ plates. (They liked them, though. My almost-2-year-old picked out all the filling and left the shells behind.) So here are my product shots. . . along with a cute 3-year-old spokesperson, if by chance they need one.

This time I used their Saucy Mama Cracked Pepper Marinade. The marinade is soy sauce-based, so naturally sodium-heavy, but had a very delicious flavor and no MSG. I especially loved the bite from the cracked pepper. I used it to marinate the salmon as well as to flavor the filling and the dipping sauce.

By the way. . . I forgot to mention this in the other contest entry post, but I’m going to be giving away a sample pack of Saucy Mama products. I have one more recipe to test out for the contest, so it’ll probably be next week sometime.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend for those in the US!

Peppery Salmon Potstickers (Gyoza) with Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound wild-caught salmon fillets, thawed
2/3 cup + 3 T Saucy Mama Cracked Pepper Marinade
1 T oil
2 1/2 cups loosely packed thinly sliced cabbage (about 1/4 of a small head)
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced/grated
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 of a small lemon)
About 50 round gyoza or wonton wrappers

for the dipping sauce:
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Cracked Pepper Marinade
3 T rice vinegar
2 T oil (I used olive, but you can use canola or grapeseed)
1 T honey

Directions:

Making the Filling:
Place salmon and 2/3 cup of marinade into a plastic zip-top bag. Squeeze as much of the air out as you can, seal the bag, then mush it around gently to ensure salmon is completely coated in the marinade. Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes (not more than 30).

When you're ready to cook the salmon, heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Remove fillets from the bag, allowing excess marinade to drip off, and place in the skillet. Discard used marinade. Cook salmon, covered, for 10-15 minutes until fillets are just barely cooked through or even have a smidgen of dark pink in the center. Transfer salmon to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Let it rest until it's cool enough to handle. (And if it wasn't completely cooked through, the residual heat will finish it off.)

In that same skillet (removing salmon skin, if it has adhered to the bottom), cook cabbage, carrots, and green onions with 2 T of fresh marinade over medium-high heat. Stir frequently and cook for about 6-8 minutes or until cabbage has wilted and carrots are soft. Transfer vegetables to a large mixing bowl and let the cool for a few minutes. Using your hands, shred the salmon into the bowl with the cabbage mixture. Add minced ginger, lemon juice and 1 T of marinade. Stir to combine. Let mixture cool until it is lukewarm. TIP: You can make the filling a day ahead of assembling the potstickers. Just store in the fridge until ready to use.

Assembling the potstickers:
When you're ready to assemble the potstickers, gather the filling, the gyoza wrappers, a platter or cookie sheet to place them on, and a small bowl of water.

Holding the wrapper in one hand, place scant 1 T filling in the center of each gyoza wrapper, lightly moisten outside edge of wrapper with a bit of water using your finger. Fold wrapper in half and seal tightly, making pleats, if you like. Press sealed edge down lightly to plump up dumpling and make it stand up straight. Place dumplings in rows on baking sheets so they don't touch. TIP: At this point, you can freeze them. Just cook like normal, but add an additional 1/4 c water and increase cooking time slightly.

Cooking the potstickers:
Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over med-high heat until hot. Add 1 T oil and heat. Place 12 potstickers in skillet, packing them in tightly is fine. Cook without disturbing 1-2 min or until bottoms are pale golden brown.

 Add 1/2 c. water around sides of skillet; immediately cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook 8 minutes or until the water is almost all evaporated. Uncover; cook 1-2 minutes, shaking skillet gently to prevent sticking.

When water has evaporated and potstickers are crispy brown, place, bottom side up, on platter. Repeat with remaining potstickers, adding additional oil as needed.

Make the dipping sauce:
Whisk all ingredients together and store in a small air-tight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Serve hot or warm with sauce for dipping.

Makes about 48 potstickers, enough appetizers for about 12 people.

Nat's Note:
1. If you can't find Saucy Mama's marinade, you can use your favorite Asian marinade or teriyaki sauce.

from Perry's Plate

Appetizers, Main Dish Seafood

 1 comment »