Sweet and Spicy Salmon Glaze

Sweet and Spicy Salmon Glaze

Makes enough for 1/2 whole salmon or about 6 portion sized fillets

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
• 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 3/4 Cup Honey
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Instructions:

1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat bring pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and honey to a slow boil.
2. Reduce heat and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer the glaze over medium-low heat for about fifteen minutes or until the glaze has reached a nice syrupy consistency.
4. Divide sauce in half, and put half aside for now or keep it warm on a back burner for later.
5. Prepare your salmon for cooking and prepare either the plank or pan.  Season the salmon fillet on both sides with some salt and pepper, place it on the pan or plank and lightly glaze with the sauce. You want to just cover the salmon with this glaze.
6. Cook the salmon, re-glazing every 10 minutes in the oven, or after about 6 minutes on a grill. Once salmon is cooked, re-heat the remaining glaze, and serve the salmon with spoonful of the glaze on top to keep it moist.
7. Extra style points can be gained by garnishing with some fresh parsley.
8. I usually cook salmon for between 7-12 minutes at a 375 °F

Enjoy!

Notes:

Salmon is not my favorite fish. I tend to prefer a nice beer-battered haddock fillet with crisp chips. However, beer-battered fish and fried chips aren't exactly a meal I can eat every single day(especially since I also want to eat it with gravy). So To try and live better and eat healthier I've tried a lot of Salmon recipes. Not all were successful, but this is a recipe that I tried on some friends who are professed "not sea-food eaters" and it was a smash hit! I've also given it to a few friends to test it out with pretty excellent results.

Before we get started there are a few different ways to prepare a nice salmon fillet, on a grill, or baked are my favorite ways. If you are into a nice smoked flavor in your fish you can also invest in a cedar plank for grilling the salmon on.  If using a cedar plank, make sure it is one made for cooking and hasn't been treated with anything, because you really do not want to eat wood treatment chemicals.  Also keep in mind that a little extra prep work will be required, the best way to prepare a cedar plank for grilling is to let it soak in warm water for at least 2 hours before cook time.  If desired you can add some bourbon, or herbs (like basil, parsley, dill etc) to the water to add some subtle flavors.  Once your plank is soaked, heat up your grill and let it come to temperature, lay the plank on the grill and wait until it is steaming hot before laying the fish on top of it.  Far easier than using a plank is to simply bake the salmon in the oven on a prepared pan. Preparing the pan is a lot simpler than the plank, all you really need to do is lightly oil the pan with olive oil, and season the pan with salt and pepper all over before laying the salmon on the pan.

Last points: Cook salmon at a low temperature, medium-low grill settings, or between 320-350°F  degrees in an oven.  I usually cook my salmon for about 5 minutes at a time, re-glazing and checking if the salmon is done.  With salmon it is easy to tell if it cooked or not, all you need to do is use the tip of a knife and poke it in the thickest part of the salmon down about halfway through the fillet and give the knife a slight turn, if the fillet "flakes" around the knife the salmon is done, if it still feels "meaty" or soft, it still needs more time.  Final point of advice, since I have the salmon cooking at such a low temperature, you need to be swift when opening the oven or grill to try and maintain heat consistency.