Spicy Salmon Soup

1. Place noodles in a large bowl, cover with hot tap water and soak until softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat canola oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel with a slotted spoon. (If the oil is too hot, the garlic will burn and become bitter so try a "tester" slice first before frying the rest.)

3. Carefully pour broth into the pan (it may spatter a little); bring to a boil. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, fish sauce, chile-garlic sauce and hot sesame oil. Stir in salmon, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the salmon is nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the drained noodles and scallions and simmer 1 minute more.

4. Top with cilantro and the crispy garlic. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Tips

Notes: Look for bean thread noodles (sometimes labeled mung bean, glass or cellophane noodles) in the Asian section of most large supermarkets or at an Asian market.

Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our nutritional analyses.

A blend of ground chiles, garlic and vinegar, chile-garlic sauce is commonly used to add heat and flavor to Asian soups, sauces and stir-fries. It can be found in the Asian section of large supermarkets (sometimes labeled as chili-garlic sauce or paste) and keeps up to 1 year in the refrigerator.

Tip: Place the salmon fillet on a clean cutting board, skin side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long, sharp knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding the skin down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.