A Beautiful Glazed Salmon Supper

Here it is, another Friday Night. Every now and again, our local market has a good deal of wild caught Salmon. When they do, you better believe we take advantage of it.

I was going to give a big speech about the benefits of Salmon. Salmon, on its own, is good for you. We’ve talked about all the positive aspects of Salmon before – Salmon is considered one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. It’s also amazingly delicious.

Unfortunately, it’s people like me that screw it up. This is not one of those healthy diabetic friendly salmon suppers. Glaze should be your first clue – a glaze generally involves something sweet – like brown sugar. Then there’s the soy sauce. And butter. I guess what I’m saying is if you are here to learn how to cook healthy meals, you’ll be disappointed. I love food – all food. And I subscribe to a “within moderation” approach to life. Granted, within moderation doesn’t work for everyone in every situation. An alcoholic cannot drink in moderation. Someone with food allergies cannot eat foods they are allergic to in moderation. Moderation only works in conjunction with common sense.

The beauty of recipes is adaptability. Baking isn’t as forgiving as cooking. Baking involves science and chemical reactions to achieve a cake the rises or a bread that bakes up just so. You’ll never find a cake recipe that says a pinch of this or a dash of that. But you will in most other recipes. Take this recipe for example – both the tarragon and cayenne peppers are to taste. Adaptability also means you could make it more healthy. The brown sugar could be substituted with honey, just as a low sodium soy sauce would work. Use a butter substitute if you like. Or live dangerously, and indulge – in moderation!

This also seems fitting since today is the Feast Day of Saint Jude – the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. When it comes to strictly eating healthy, I am a lost cause.

Glazed Salmon
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Dill Weed
Salt to taste
Dried Tarragon to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 lbs Salmon Fillet

Heat broiler element on oven. Lightly oil a baking sheet, set aside.

In a bowl, mix all spices together. Add brown sugar and soy sauce. Melt butter, drizzle butter and olive oil over the mixture. Stir to blend.

Brush spice mixture over the salmon. Place salmon, skin side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Place salmon in the oven to broil 4-inches from heat element until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, about 8 minutes.

Carefully lift salmon from the baking pan with a fish spatula – it will easily fall apart. Place on a serving platter and enjoy.

The salmon are great with Rice Pilaf and your favorite vegetable such as carrots as a side. Iced Tea is a nice beverage to accompany the salmon.