What We’re Cooking With Now: Ginger

By Chris Cox, executive chef, Café Phipps

Looking for adventure in the kitchen? Our monthly What We're Cooking with Now post features a fresh produce ingredient, explains how to find the market's finest, and includes a recipe to try at home.

Ginger

Why: Ginger is among the healthiest (and most delicious) spices on the planet. It is loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds such as Gingerol, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that provides many of ginger’s medicinal benefits. Ginger tea has been used to combat nausea and upset stomach for thousands of years. Ginger also contains the following in trace amounts: vitamin B3 and B6, iron, potassium, vitamin C, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, folate, riboflavin, and niacin.

Shopping Tip: Fresh ginger root should be firm, heavy, juicy, and fragrant. The skin should be free from dark spots or mold.  It holds very well in the fridge, up to a month or longer.

Preparation: Ginger root is easily peeled with a spoon. It is easy to mince, and can be sautéed similar to the way garlic is prepared and cooked. Making a ginger infusion or tea is also very easy and is a great way to preserve ginger root while still receiving its health benefits. Just wash it, peel it, boil it for 20 minutes, strain out the solids, and freeze the liquid in small batches (ice cube trays work great for this!) Then you can add a ginger infusion into a glass of tea, soup, or stir fry any time you want. Other ways to add fresh ginger to your diet are marinades, salad dressings, cocktails, or desserts.

Recipe: Ginger Green Tea Marinated Salmon Salad

Ingredients 

Marinade:
2 3" pieces of fresh ginger root
2 packets of green tea
1 lemon
1t honey
16oz water

Salad: 
4oz wild caught salmon
3 oz chopped napa cabbage
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 carrot, shredded
1 organic red bell pepper, julienne
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 c cashews, chopped
2 teaspoons seasame seeds 

Dressing:
4oz of ginger-green tea marinade 
2oz rice wine vinegar
1t low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
2T sesame oil

Directions:

Peel, wash, and chop the ginger root. Put in 16oz of boiling water with the packets of green tea, lemon juice, and honey. Boil for 10 minutes, strain and let cool.

Take 4oz of the marinade and set aside for the salad dressing. Use the rest to marinate the salmon for at least 2 hours, under refrigeration.

Chop the napa cabbage, dice the cucumber, shred the carrot, julienne the red pepper, chop the green onions and cashews. Toss this all together in a bowl and refrigerate.

Mix the 4oz of marinade with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and then slowly wisk in the extra virgin olive oil and sesame oil, refrigerate.

After the salmon is marinated, roast in an oven preset to 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until an internal temperature of 140 degrees is reached. While the salmon is cooking, toss a few tablespoons of the dressing over the salad mix, and toss well. Serve the salmon on top of the salad and garnish with sesame seeds.