Never Bored with Salmon

Sunday has definitely become our fish night. I really like experimenting with all the different recipes I’ve found. This one in particular caught my eye as I found it in a healthier cookbook with an appetizing picture and it sounded spicy instead of the sweet fish dishes I’ve made. On the same page in the book there was a suggested recipe to pair with it. I’m not very fond of vegetables, I’d much prefer fruit, however mint sugar snap peas? That definitely peaked my interest so I decided to make them as well.

The original recipe calls for 4 (6 oz.) salmon filets. I think fish tastes better fresh which is why I altered the recipe to serve 2 people so that we wouldn’t have left overs. I can’t accurately tell you the size/ounces of filets I cooked as I am very bad at estimating this unless it’s specifically called out on the package. I did however purchase about a pound of fish and divyed it up into smaller filets (cooking 2, freezing the rest). Without being able to tell you the exact size of the filets, my advice would be to cut the filets into what you feel is a good size portion for 1 person (think what you would receive at a restaurant). You’ll see the recipe calls for chili sauce with garlic. I had chili sauce in the fridge but it didn’t include garlic so I combined it with approximately ¼ teaspoon of minced garlic. This worked perfectly. 

What I found astounding about this recipe is that it’s amazingly FAST to make. This would be a great week night dinner as there’s minimal prep work and the fish is done in less than 10 minutes! With all that extra time, I highly suggest making a side dish. If you’re looking for something new, try the mint sugar snap peas. They go well with the dish and they’re also quite easy to make. While cooking these I learned a new rule in the kitchen which I should have known but I’m not afraid to admit that I didn’t. After rinsing vegetables make sure they are fully dry before adding them to a skillet with oil. I thought I would slowly pour the peas from the strainer directly into the oiled skillet. Of course as soon as I began to add them hot sparks of oil started to shoot up. My husband happened to be talking with me in the kitchen when this happened and as the sparks started to fly he told me Stop! And something along the lines of. ..Babe you can’t mix water with oil. He suggested drying them off completely before returning them to the pan. Ta da! That worked! Lesson learned.

When dinner was served I have to say we were both pleasantly surprised by the fish. There are so many salmon dishes I’ve come to love that it’s hard to imagine finding another exceptional dish. Well this is definitely one of them. I really thought the fish would be spicy because of the recipes name, however don’t be deceived by that, this dish had more of a sweet taste. I think the glaze was sweeter because the orange marmalade tones down the chili sauce creating a really nice flavor. As for the minted sugar snap peas I really enjoyed these a lot. The peas were a beautiful green color that had a nice crunch when you bit into them. I was expecting the mint flavor to really stand out however I tasted more of the orange zest. Ryan didn’t particularly care for the orange flavor as he felt it overpowered the peas and that’s all he tasted. We’re opposites when it comes to how we’d prefer to eat vegetables. Ryan savors the true green, earthiness taste of vegetables. He even likes to eat them raw with no ranch dressing (what?!). I, on the other hand, don’t care for that hearty taste. I like to slightly disguise it by cooking vegetables with other flavors so that I’ll be able to enjoy eating them. At least this gets me to eat more vegetables. Going back to Ryan’s point though, I agree the orange flavor was strong, however I still really enjoyed the peas. When I make the peas again (which I’m definitely planning to) I am will try adding half the amount of orange zest and that should balance the flavors more equally.

Chili Garlic Glazed Salmon

Adapted from Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast: Over 280 Incredibly Flavorful 5-Ingredient 15-Minute Recipesby Editors of Cooking Light Magazine (Amazon affiliate link)

Serves 2

Prep Time: 4 mins

Total Time: 11 mins.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons chili sauce with garlic*

        *Or ¼ tsp minced garlic can be added to regular chili sauce

• 3 tablespoons minced green onions
• 1 ½ tablespoons orange marmalade
• ¾ teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 salmon filets (medium /large size for 1 person)

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler to 400˚F
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl to create chili mixture. Line baking sheet with foil and lightly grease with butter where the filets will rest.
3. Place filets on baking sheet and spoon half of the chili mixture on top (brushing across sides as well).
4. Broil fish for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove from oven and spoon remaining chili mixture on top of filets.
5. Broil fish for 2 more minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Minted Sugar Snap Peas

Adapted from Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast: Over 280 Incredibly Flavorful 5-Ingredient 15-Minute Recipesby Editors of Cooking Light Magazine (Amazon affiliate link)

Serves 2

Prep Time: 2 mins.

Total Time: 5 mins.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
• 2 cups Fresh Sugar Snap Peas
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Rinse peas and pat dry.
2. Heat oil in a large non stick skillet over medium–high heat.
3. Add peas and sauté for 2 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender.
4. Add mint, orange zest, and salt. Stir to combine well and serve.