This simple recipe for Sweet Chili Glazed Salmon also comes with a public service announcement.
Attention Fish Lovers: Copper River Salmon is now in season!
Like its salmon friends Sockeye and Coho, Copper River Salmon are wild caught, fresh salmon that enjoy a very specific and short season each year.
The Copper River runs through Alaska and empties into Prince William Sound. Every year from late May through June, if you’re lucky your store will get fresh Copper River Salmon.
It’s redder, richer in all those good essential oils, and sweeter than any other salmon I’ve tried. There is absolutely nothing remotely fishy about the flavor. In fact, it almost has a nutty quality.
Since the fish is so mild and has such a particular flavor, it doesn’t need much in the way of seasoning. My go to recipe is to grill it on a Cedar Plank either with a simple topping of salt & pepper or with a slightly more robust mustard coating.
Since it was pouring rain when I was getting ready to grill my salmon last week, I looked for an alternative that didn’t involve me getting soaked. Happily I had a salmon recipe on Pinterest that looked perfect for my glorious red piece of Copper River Salmon.
Here’s what you need:
Salmon, Sweet Chili Sauce, Green Onion, Sesame Seeds (not pictured), Salt & Pepper
Click here for a Sweet Chili Glazed Salmon Shopping List
This recipe is the definition of simple and easy. You get a lot of bang for your buck with only a few ingredients.
Place your lovely salmon fillet (mine has the skin on one side) in a dish and season lightly with salt & pepper.
I plan on about 6-8 oz. of fish per person so I have just under 1 pound for two of us.
I like to cook my fish in one piece rather than in individual servings to help keep the fish from drying out. It doesn’t look quite as nice for presentation but I’d rather have moist, tender fish over pretty slices any day.
Spoon 2 Tablespoons of sweet chili sauce over the salmon and spread it over the top of the fish.
You can find sweet chili sauce in the Asian section of most grocery stores. This is the dipping sauce that you often get when you order egg rolls. I personally like the Trader Joe’s brand but use whatever one you can find.
Allow the salmon to marinate for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. This will also help your fish shake off the chill from being in the refrigerator and cook more evenly.
Preheat your oven broiler to high.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray or oil lightly. Transfer the salmon to the foil and cook on a rack about 8 inches below the broiler for 5 minutes.
In my oven, this is the 3rd rack position down from the top. You don’t want to put the fish right up next to the broiler or the top will burn.
After 5 minutes, take the fish out of the oven and spread another 1-2 Tablespoons of sweet chili sauce over the top.
Return the fish to the oven but move it up 1 rack space so it is closer to the broiler unit.
Broil for another 5-6 minutes or until the fish is golden, slightly charred on the edges, and flakes easily with a fork.
Depending on the thickness of your fish you might need to adjust the time 1-2 minutes either more or less. I always start checking my salmon at about the 7 minute mark.
Cut into individual serving pieces and garnish with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
This is light and bright with just a hint of the chili flavor. In spite of the name, it is neither sweet nor spicy. Just a tasty glaze that compliments rather than covering up the flavor of the fish.
If you’ve never tried Copper River Salmon, I encourage you to find some while it is still in season. It’s more expensive than other salmon (and certainly more than the farm raised, color enhanced stuff that I don’t really consider salmon at all) but WELL worth it.
Copper River Salmon is here!
Here’s the recipe: Adapted from ifoodreal.com
3 Responses
Okay, this is a perfect recipe! I made it a couple nights ago, the simplest thing ever & absolutely delicious! Thanks for breaking me out of my salmon rut…my other, equally simple way to make salmon is to sprinkle lemon & pepper on it & set it on the grill. That’s delicious too, tends to be a little drier…I loved how this came out of the oven moist & tangy, perfect!
Glad you liked it! I always think of you when I come up with a recipe with only a few ingredients. 🙂 You might also like the Easy Glazed Salmon. That’s the one with the brown sugar and mustard topping that I was telling you about.http://idiotskitchen.com/index.php/2011/07/easy-glazed-salmon/