Dinner Party Menu: Anna & Jeff (Sesame Soy Salmon)

To help break in my kitchen and get me back into entertaining mode, we had our dearest and closest family friends over - Anna & Jeff. I've known Anna since we were toddlers and Jeff since my freshman year in high school... and our friendship has spanned all these years. They recently set a date for their long awaited wedding and we wanted to celebrate that along with so many other blessings we had to share. For dinner, I prepared the following menu:

Cheese, Olive & Salami Platter
with crackers

Sesame Soy Salmon
with steamed brown rice & roasted asparagus

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
to celebrate Anna's belated birthday

Here is the recipe I used for the salmon, which I doubled to serve 4:

Sesame Soy Salmon
from MyRecipes.com

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh scallions

Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Brush half of soy mixture over salmon, and let sit 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat oils in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté salmon 3 to 4 minutes, turn, and brush with remaining soy mixture. Cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives.