Maple-Bourbon Glazed Salmon

first day of fall feast...

It's official. The first day of fall is finally here. I'm so excited! If you know me at all (or have followed my blog) you know I'm seasonal with my recipes. This one is no exception and is quite the fall feast. I made this dish Sunday night to celebrate my second wedding anniversary (it's today actually) so it was only appropriate.

This is a very traditional recipe, and as I've said, at times it's best not to mess too much with perfection. I've made a simple reduction by combining maple syrup, bourbon, soy sauce, and orange juice and cooked it down. This is then served over top of oven broiled salmon on a bed of rice. Make this dish when you want to impress. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
1/3 C 100% Pure Maple Syrup
3 T Bourbon
2 T Soy Sauce (low sodium)
2 T Fresh Orange Juice
1 1/4 lbs. Salmon (skin on)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Cooking Spray
For Serving: Cooked White Rice

Directions
Preheat the broiler. Move the oven rack up to two slots from the top.

Make the glaze: In a small sauce pan combine the maple syrup, bourbon, soy sauce, and orange juice. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat while preparing the salmon.

Prepare the salmon: Place the salmon on a lightly greased broiler pan (or a cooling rack placed on top of a baking sheet). Season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Cook the salmon: Place the salmon under the broiler and cook for 4 minutes. Remove and brush the glaze (still reducing) on top. Return to the broiler and continue to cook until the fish flakes easily, about 3 more minutes.

Finish the glaze: As the fish finishes cooking, bring the maple-bourbon mixture to a boil. Allow it to reduce to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Plate the salmon: Put down a bed of rice. Top with the salmon and drizzle with the glaze. Serve with your favorite vegetables and a glass of wine. Welcome fall with this fabulous feast. Enjoy!

Grilled Simple Salmon w/ Dill Gremolata

fresh is best

Memorial Day Weekend is coming up. It's the (un)official kick-off to summer for many and the grills will be out in full force. So, for this post I've made an easy grilled salmon with a fresh herb topping - a gremolata. Gremolata is a northern Italian (Milanese) topping traditionally served with osso buco (veal shank braised with vegetables). The traditional ingredients are simple - parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. Because I'm serving my gremolata with salmon what could be better than subbing in dill for parsley?

This dish will take less than 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish. And, that's good because who wants to spend more time cooking than necessary on this beautiful weekend? Make this simple supper to start the summer. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4

For the Salmon:

1.5 lbs. Salmon, skin-on

2 T Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (suggest The Spicy Olive)

1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper

1 Lemon

For the Gremolata:

1/4 C Fresh Dill, minced

2 T Fresh Parsley, minced

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

Zest of 1 Lemon

Directions

Preheat the grill to about 375.

Put the salmon, skin-side down, on a baking sheet. Drizzle the lemon oil on top. If you don't have lemon flavored oil, you can use regular extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over top. Then rub the oil, salt, and pepper all over the top of the salmon. Set this aside and make the gremolata.

In a small bowl, add the minced dill, parsley, and garlic. Zest the lemon into the bowl and stir everything together. Set aside. Cut the lemon in half and put on the baking sheet with the salmon.

Grill the salmon, skin-side down, with the lid shut for 10-12 minutes (15 minutes for well done). The grill acts as an oven, so there is no need to flip the salmon. Also, I prefer to grill salmon with the skin on as it keeps the fish together and protects the meat. 2-3 minutes before the salmon is done add the lemon, cut-side down, to the grill. Grill until marked. Once the salmon is cooked through, remove from the grill. Allow it to rest for 2 minutes before cutting into 4 fillets.

Serve the salmon topped with about 3 T of the gremolata and a squeeze of juice from the grilled lemon. I served this salmon with Grilled Parmesan Potatoes (see below for the recipe) and a salad. Enjoy your Memorial Holiday weekend and the (un)official kick-off to summer!

Grilled Parmesan Potatoes: Thinly slice Yukon Gold or Red Skin Potatoes and arrange in a single layer in a foil packet. Top with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Drop dollops of butter all over the top, seal the packet, and grill until cooked through, 25-30 minutes. Ours got a little too done, but they were nice and crispy!

Strawberry-Balsamic Salmon with Blue Cheese Polenta & Arugula Salad

strawberry wine and balsamic vinegar - saucy goodness

Steven and I visited South Haven, MI in the spring of 2009. It was a quaint, artsy town full of bed and breakfasts, shops, local restaurants, and, best of all, wineries. We visited a few, most featuring fruit wines. We aren't huge fans of these types of wines for drinking, BUT they are quite tasty when used for cooking.

It was about time I opened this bottle (nearly 4 years later) and cooked with it! Inspired by this wine and the fruit used to make it, I could think of no better pairing but salmon. The sweetness of the strawberry-balsamic sauce cuts through the fattiness of the salmon for a balanced spring main.

For a well rounded meal, I paired this dish with a simple blue cheese polenta and arugula salad. Have it for your next dinner. Here's how...

Recipe - Serves 4
Strawberry-Balsamic Salmon
1/2C Semi-Dry Strawberry Wine
1/2C Balsamic Vinegar
3 Shallots, thinly sliced
8-10 Strawberries, sliced
1 1/2 lbs. Center-Cut Salmon w/ skin on
Salt & Pepper

Blue Cheese Polenta
1C Quick-Cooking Polenta
4oz. Blue Cheese, crumbled

Arugula Salad
2C Arugula
1 Orange, zest and juice
Salt & Pepper
1/4C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions
Begin by making the sauce, combine the strawberry wine and balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan. Put the pan on medium heat and allow the mixture to reduce by half; approx. 20 minutes. Be sure to turn on your vent, the vinegar will clear your sinuses!

Meanwhile, slice the shallots and strawberries and put them in a small bowl. Also, preheat the broiler to high and place your rack 2 slots down from the top. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place the salmon, skin-side down, on the baking sheet and season with salt & pepper; broil for 10-12 minutes.

After the sauce has reduced, pour it over the shallots and strawberries. Allow the mixture to maserate for no more than 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make the polenta: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Salt the water and add the polenta, whisking constantly. It will come together quickly. Turn the heat off, stir in the blue cheese, cover & keep warm.

After the salmon has cooked, top with the strawberry-balsamic mixture and return to the broiler for another 2 minutes.

Make the salad: In a bowl combine the orange zest, juice, salt, and pepper, and whisk in the oil. Toss with the arugula.

Serve the salmon topped with the strawberries, shallots, and sauce along side the blue cheese polenta and arugula salad. To enhance the flavor, serve with a glass of the strawberry wine. Now that's a spring supper!