Asian inspired idea for Summer

So I thought I'd end my Summer hiatus by sharing this simple marinade/sauce idea, great for Summer.  Be it grilled chicken, pork or fish this works well and is intensely flavorful.  Whatever marinade is left over can be cooked and use as a sauce or better yet separate into two equal parts, one for each.

Ingredients (I don't have exact measurements as I make these up through trial and error; also depends for how many servings you're cooking):

freshly grated or chopped lemongrass
chili pepper
lime juice of one lime
minced garlic
freshly chopped cilantro
freshly grated ginger
one shallot
2 tablespoons honey
EVOO (sesame oil is preferred actually but don't use as much due to its intense flavor)
Thai Kitchen Spicy Mango Chili sauce (Thai Kitchen brand can be found in the Asian section of almost all grocery stores and works well if you want a ready made marinade or sauce; I found just a little worked here)
couple dashes of soy sauce
white wine

I've done this both by simmering and reducing the ingredients in a nonstick sauce pan and draining the solids or just whisking everything in a large bowl and using it as is.  If you do the latter you will want to more finely chop the solids.  If you simmer the ingredients which will reduce and intensify the flavors I would let it cool down to room temp before marinating to prevent any premature cooking of the protein (esp fish). 
Just simmer (NOT boil) and stir until it reduces by half (the wine and lime juice will be the main liquid to reduce). If it gets too thin you could add a littel butter to thicken...do NOT use cornstarch etc as some like to do. Strain and cool.

I found it worked the best with Coho salmon (skin on)  vs chicken, pork or white fish such as tilapia. The uniquely delicious, meaty, intense yet "not fishy" taste of the Coho is complimented very nicely by the sweet and spicy nature of this sauce.

I would marinade in the refrigerator for several hours to even overnight.  Set out for 10 minutes or so before putting on the grill or grill saute pan to avoid temperature shock to the protein.  You can even just bake the salmon in a Pyrex glass baking dish.


Now the important part - alcohol. As for wine pairings, I would suggest a riesling (sweet: Alsace or Germany; dry, Australia) if you prefer a chilled white wine. Riesling pairs consistently well with Asian food.  If you like a medium bodied red I'd go with a pinot noir or Cotes du Rhone.  Of course, as with almost all Asian food, a good beer i.e. Sapporo is always a good bet....especially in Summer!!

Cheers and Bon Appetit!!