Salmon with a Vietnamese Twist

Bret bought a fishing license so we've been going out fishing. He finally caught something for the first time in Utah since I've known him. It was just a tiny trout that he ended up tossing back.
Anyways, whenever we fish here in Utah I get nostalgic and miss fishing in Alaska where you are always successful and what you catch is usually HUGE. (This is a king salmon that I helped reel in.)

Anyways, Salmon is my favorite fish to eat and I love the way my mom always made it so today I'll be posting her recipe. She's Vietnamese and brought her Asian influences to wild Alaskan food (like Moose Phở). So even though there aren't Salmon in Vietnam, I'll call this dish Vietnamese Salmon!

I also wanted to submit this post for the Delicious Vietnam #3 blogging event. Anh of A Food Lovers’ Journey and Hong and Kim from Ravenous Couple came up with the idea where people all over the world could get together and share their love of Vietnamese food in a combined blog post once a month.

Vietnamese Salmon

Ingredients:
1 Large Salmon Fillet
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
3 Tbs Oil
1 recipe of Vietnamese Dipping Sauce/Nuoc Cham (At the end of blog post)
approx. 1/2 cup Sugar

Directions:
Cut up your fillet into single sized portions. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the minced garlic, bring to medium heat. Then add your Salmon portions and cook each side for a few minutes until cooked all the way through.

Pull the Salmon out and set aside. Pour out the excess oil and discard. Now add about 1 cup of the Nuoc Cham liquid into the skillet. Add in the sugar and cook it down until the sauce caramelizes and turns into a syrup consistency. The more sugar you add, the quicker you'll reach your desired thickness. When the sauce is done, pour it over the Salmon and serve it immediately with a side of rice and your favorite vegetables.
This dish is sweet, savory, and has just a little bit of heat to it. The sauce will have a very strong smell as you cook it but the flavor will be amazing! It's also a great way to use up your left over Nuoc Cham when you've made it for other Vietnamese dishes. Enjoy!