Roasted Honey Ginger Salmon
salmon for skeptics
My husband and I affectionately refer to this salmon as candy salmon - and for good reason. Its honey and ginger glaze is sweet, in a balanced way, and makes eating an otherwise virtuous piece of fish for dinner feel like a treat.
Salmon has a rich, buttery flavor that can stand up to bold marinades, sauces and glazes, especially those that are both savory and a little bit sweet. By comparison, I wouldn’t often use honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar with a white fish like cod or halibut, but there’s something about the meatiness of salmon that is enhanced by a little sweetness.
I grew up eating a lot of salmon and I think of it as one of the big players in a good weeknight dinner rotation. My husband, Joe, on the other hand, is not a big salmon lover, so whenever I want to make it I know it’s got to have a lot going on to ‘disguise’ the salmon. (This may make him sound like a five year old, but I know there are many other grownups who are similarly iffy about salmon!)
Enter candy salmon.
The glaze starts with honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar, which simmer together for a couple of minutes until they’re slightly reduced. Then you stir in grated fresh ginger and garlic. (Adding them off the heat ensures their flavor is not at all diminished by cooking.) The result is a glaze that is honey-forward, with a fresh gingery kick. It does double duty here, acting as a cooking liquid with which to baste the salmon, and also a sauce that can be spooned over the fish before serving.
The final key element is the lime juice. Squeezed over the cooked salmon, it tempers the honey with a hit of tartness for a perfectly balanced bite of fish. I say this without exaggeration, and it’s something I don’t think I’ve said about a plate of salmon before, it’s difficult to eat this slowly. The glaze just keeps you coming back for another bite, and before you know it, your plate is empty.
Flavor aside, this is the kind of weeknight dinner you can pull together quickly and without much thought. Typically, I’ll get some rice going in a pot first, then make the glaze, and while the salmon is baking, I’ll make a quick salad, or sauté something green, like asparagus, spinach, or snap peas. There’s usually enough glaze left in the serving dish to spoon over the rice and bring everything together.
And for those nights that there are just of two of us, this recipe halves beautifully. Just use a smaller baking dish that fits 2 fillets of salmon without crowding.
If salmon is a regular in your weeknight dinner rotation, I hope you’ll give this a try. And if you have salmon skeptics in your house, let me know what they think!!
xox
Lidey
Roasted Honey Ginger Salmon
serves 4
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on or off
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, grated
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt
Half a lime, for serving
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and let the salmon sit at room temperature while the oven heats.
Combine the honey, soy sauce and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the ginger and garlic, and set aside to cool.
Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and place them in a baking dish just large enough to fit them without crowding.
Brush the fillets all over with olive oil and season lightly with salt.
Pour the glaze over the salmon, spooning some of the glaze that collects in the baking dish back over the fillets.
Roast the salmon for 6 minutes, then baste several times with the glaze. Return the baking dish to the oven and roast until the salmon is just cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, 6 to 8 minutes.
Spoon more glaze over the salmon fillets, then squeeze the lime juice over them. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Tried this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
This recipe is fantastic! I made it tonight exactly as described and I will be making it again and again and again.
This looks amazing! salmon is favorite weekend dinneri I will try to make it.