seared salmon with jalapeño asian sauce

i saw this recipe in my cooking light magazine and was immediately intrigued. not only was it extremely simple, but the presentation looked gorgeous. the recipe calls for mirin sauce. i had no idea what this was, but according to wikipedia it is "an essential condiment used in japanese cuisine, consisting of 40% to 50% sugar. it is a kind of rice wine similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content." i was afraid to not use it, so i traveled to 3 grocery stores looking for this mysterious ingredient. (i finally found it at whole foods.) i think traveling the extra miles to find it was definitely worth it. somehow all the flavors magically developed into a sweet, tangy and spicy sauce - do not leave off the jalapenos even if you are afraid of heat. it is needed to balance out all the other flavors.

ingredients:
1/4 cup less-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1 large jalapeño pepper, cut crosswise into thin slices

directions:
combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add salmon, skin side down, cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. arrange 1 fillet on each of 4 plates. top fillets evenly with jalapeño slices. spoon about 2 tablespoons soy sauce mixture over each serving; let stand 10 minutes before serving. i served this with my favorite garlic rice recipe and steamed broccoli florets.