Honey Gochujang Salmon Salad with Quick Pickled Asian Pear & Cucumber Kimchi

Today, I want to share with you all how I incorporate the concept of salt acid fat heat into my everyday cooking. First, let’s talk about salt. Salt is critical for enhancing flavor and it’s important to salt each layer of your dish - in my case, I add salt separately to the quinoa, the salmon, the quick pickled kimchi, and the vinaigrette. Next is fat - fat delivers flavor and generates texture. The 2 components of fat here are the delicious flakey and fatty salmon, as well as the sesame vinaigrette. Acid, which is brought in this dish by the both the vinaigrette and the quick pickled kimchi, is used to balance flavor and enhance the overall texture of the dish. Last is heat. This isn’t spice or temperature, but how things are cooked. The salmon here is cooked on high heat for a crispy exterior and flakey interior, and the quinoa is cooked on low heat to create a fluffy texture that will help absorb all the other flavors. The combination of all 4 of these things make this nourishing and healthy dish something that’s crave-able and absolutely delicious.