Name: Instant Pot Salmon with Ponzu-Braised Eggplant
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: JapaneseAsia
Ingredients: ½ cup water; ¼ cup ponzu; 1 tablespoon honey; 1 tablespoon mirin; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon canola oil; 3 scallions , white and green parts separated and sliced thin; 3 garlic cloves , minced; 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger; 2 pounds eggplant , cut into 2-inch pieces; 1½ pounds skinless salmon fillets , 1 to 1½ inches thick, cut into 2-inch pieces; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds , toasted

Why This Recipe Works

Bottled ponzu has all these umami flavors, making it a great base for a flavor-packed sauce. We love the versatility of eggplant and salmon, so we teamed them up for a complete meal. In 1 minute, the Instant Pot's produced juicy fish and creamy eggplant (a foil sling kept the salmon intact while it cooked). We let the eggplant continue to cook in the residual heat for another 2 minutes so that it could thicken into a luscious coating.

Before You Begin

This recipe works best with farmed salmon; we do not recommend using wild salmon. If the salmon has not reached at least 125 degrees (for medium-rare) after sitting in step 3, return cover and continue to cook using residual heat until it reaches 125 degrees.

Instructions

Whisk water, ponzu sauce, honey, mirin, and cornstarch together in bowl; set aside. Combine oil, scallion whites, garlic, and ginger in Instant Pot and cook, using highest sauté function, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Turn off Instant Pot. Stir in ponzu mixture, scraping up any browned bits, then arrange eggplant in even layer in pot.

Fold sheet of aluminum foil into 16 by 6-inch sling. Arrange salmon skinned side down in center of sling and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using sling, lower salmon into pot on top of eggplant; allow narrow edges of sling to rest along sides of pot. Lock lid into place and close pressure-release valve. Select high pressure-cook function and cook for 1 minute.

Turn off Instant Pot and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Partially cover pot with lid and let salmon and eggplant sit for 2 minutes. Using sling, transfer salmon to large plate. Stir eggplant to coat with sauce. Serve salmon with eggplant, sprinkling individual portions with scallion greens and sesame seeds.