Salmon: Bourbon Glazed Salmon with Toasted Sliced Almonds
Source: Catholic Newspaper: The Compass News
Perfect to make during lent and the bourbon glaze is delicious.
This pairs well with my Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon or my Asparagus Grilled with Lemon Zest
Ingredients
- 4 (6 oz.) pieces of wild Alaskan salmon (Orka Bay)
- fresh ground sea salt and coarse black pepper
- ¼ c. sliced almond, toasted
Bourbon Glaze
- ¼ c. maple syrup
- 3 Tbls. light brown sugar
- 1 Tbls. low sodium soy sauce (Kikkoman)
- 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 t. apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 t. scant roasted garlic powder (regular works fine too)
- 2 Tbls. bourbon (Maker’s Mark) – see Note
Instructions
Prep Salmon: Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry. Place in a zip lock bag or baking dish, add a little milk and soak for 30-45 minutes. Rinse in cold water, pat dry and place in baking dish. This eliminates fishy smell some fish have.
Season salmon with sea salt and black pepper. Cover with saran wrap if not baking (or grilling) right away. You can either bake or grill, see instructions below.
Toast Almonds: Add sliced almonds to a small Teflon coated skillet. Turn heat to high and stir constantly so they don’t burn. Will only take 1-2 minutes once pan is hot. Remove from heat and let cool on a small plate. Store in airtight container until ready to use.
Bourbon Glaze: In a small, heavy sauce pan, over medium-high heat, combine maple syrup, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar and garlic powder. Stir until mixture begins to boil. Set the pan off heat and slowly stir in bourbon. Return to low-medium heat; stir and cook until slightly thickened and syrupy (about 3-5 minutes). Be careful not to get too thick.
*You can make ahead of time if you want and refrigerate until needed. Just warm a little in the microwave.
Bake Salmon Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place salmon, skin side down, on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven. Spoon and spread 2 teaspoons of glaze over each piece of salmon. Return to oven and bake for 3-4 minutes, or until done. To test, insert fork in the thickest part of salmon and gently twist. Salmon is done when it begins to flake. The salmon skin will stick to the foil, just slip a spatula between the fish meat and the skin to remove skin easily. Scrap off the gray matter that is between the fish meat and the skin (that is the fishy tasting stuff).
Grill Salmon: Place salmon on a piece of heavy duty foil. Grill over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes (check after 15 minutes). The salmon skin will stick to the foil, just slip a spatula between the fish meat and the skin to remove skin easily. Scrap off the gray matter that is between the fish meat and the skin (that is the fishy tasting stuff).
Remove from oven or grill. Warm sauce and brush over salmon, except about 2 tablespoons. Sprinkle almonds evenly over each salmon fillet and drizzle with reserved sauce.
NOTE: If you are not a bourbon drinker, you can purchase sample bottles of bourbon at liquor stores, which is cheap, instead of buying a big bottle.