SHEET-PAN SALMON AND EGGPLANT WITH XO SAUCE

Sheet-Pan Salmon and Eggplant With XO Sauce image

XO sauce, a prized seafood condiment from Hong Kong, involves frying pricey dried shrimp and scallops with Chinese cured ham and aromatics until jammy and full of umami. This pantry-friendly version uses smoked mussels to replicate the seafood flavor without breaking the bank. The rich, sweet-salty sauce balances fatty salmon and silky eggplant, but the savory condiment has endless uses: Dollop it on scrambled eggs, fried rice, roasted veggies or noodles. Extra sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for one month.

Provided by Kay Chun

Categories seafood, main course

Time 40m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

1 (4-ounce) can smoked mussels
1 1/2 pounds Japanese eggplant (5 to 6 medium), trimmed, halved lengthwise and then crosswise
3/4 cup safflower or canola oil
Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
1 shallot, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
1 ounce sliced prosciutto (about 2 slices), finely chopped
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 green Thai chile, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
4 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Steamed rice, for serving (optional)

Steps:

Drain the mussels and reserve the liquid. (You should have about 2 tablespoons of liquid.) Finely chop half of the mussels, reserving the rest for another future use. Set aside chopped mussels and liquid.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine eggplant and 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat, arrange skin side down and roast until tender, 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup oil and the shallot over medium; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot is softened, 3 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger to the shallot oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until just light golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring, until well combined, 1 minute. Add Shaoxing wine and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in chopped mussels and reserved mussel liquid, sugar, chile, soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. You should have about 1 cup of sauce.
Spread 1/4 cup of the XO sauce on top of the eggplant and move to one side of the baking sheet. Rub salmon with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt. Arrange salmon next to eggplant, skin side down, and roast until it's cooked through and the eggplant is golden, about 10 minutes longer.
Divide salmon and eggplant among plates. Spoon some XO sauce over salmon, garnish with scallions and serve alongside steamed rice, if you like.