Michael’s On East this month debuted a some exciting recipes on its menu, including this Scottish-inspired take on salmon. If you feel especially daring, you can even try this dish from Chef Jamil in your own kitchen.

Pan-Seared Scottish Salmon 

Ingredients (for rice): 4 oz. Forbidden rice; 8 oz. water; 1 oz. chopped fresh ginger; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 2 tablespoons chopped scallions; 1 teaspoon olive oil; Salt and pepper; (for ginger-scallion vinaigrette): 3 oz. of fresh ginger; 12 oz. scallions; 1½ qts. rice wine vinegar; 3 oz. Marin; ¾ cup sugar; ¾ cup salad oil; Salt and pepper to taste; (for eggplant stew): 2 lbs. Thai Eggplant; 3 tablespoons Garlic, chopped; 4 Roma Tomatoes, cut in half; ½ gallon Coconut Milk; 1 cup Brown Sugar; 5 tablespoons Curry Powder; 1 Jalapeno Pepper, deseeded and cut in half; 3 tablespoons Sesame Oil; 3 bunches of Green Onions, cut in large sprigs (use the entire onion); Salt and Pepper to taste; (for salmon): 4 7-oz. Salmon Filets, ¼ cup Olive Oil.

In a small saucepan, bring the rice, ginger and water to a boil season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is soft. In a sauté pan, add the olive oil and sauté the rice with sesame oil and scallions. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside until the dish is ready to be plated. 

In a medium sauté pan, add the ginger, 5 oz scallions and vinegar and reduce by half. Cool, and blend then strain the liquid. Add the remaining 7 oz scallions, sugar and Marin to the blender and burr mix while slowly adding oil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until the dish is ready to be plated.

Heat the sauté pan over medium high heat, add the oil, green onions and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the eggplant and curry powder and cook until brown, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, jalapeno and brown sugar, cook for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil for about 6 minutes. Remove the jalapeno and discard. Season with salt and black pepper and set aside until the dish is ready to be plated.

Preheat the oven to 400 degree. In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add olive oil and sear each piece of salmon on both sides. Place the pan in oven and bake for 6 minutes (for medium), or your desired temperature.

On a large rectangular plate, place a large spoonful of the forbidden rice to the left-hand side of the dish. On the right-hand side, add a spoonful of the eggplant stew in a diagonal line. Add dollops of the ginger-scallion vinaigrette around the plate. Place the salmon filet on top of the black rice and garnish with green onions immediately before serving.