Last night I tried one of the very few new recipes that I made during the past month or so. I wanted salmon, we try to eat it at least once a week, and this recipe which I adapted from the May issue of Food and Wine was no less than incredibly delicious.
Chile-Honey-Glazed Salmon with Two Sauces was altered a bit to have only one sauce, and I cheated a bit on this because of time constraints.
After his first bite, Jack asked “so, why would you make salmon any other way?”, and I felt compelled to reply with the names of several other salmon recipes which we enjoy and are on a regular rotation. He agreed, but said that I was to make this one often.
As for the recipe, I wonder why a serving is to be 8 ounces of salmon? That is simply too much. A serving is supposed to be 4 ounces, but I stretch it to 6 ounces for Jack, usually. Too many calories, and even though salmon has those wonderful Omega 3 fats, too much of those as well.
The original recipe is as follows:
Chile-Honey-Glazed Salmon with Two Sauces
F&W May 2010
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked
- 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, 2 chopped
- 2 large jalapeños, stemmed
- 1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for brushing
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 canned chipotle in adobo, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- One 19-ounce can black beans with their liquid
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure ancho chile powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
- Four 8-ounce center-cut salmon fillets, with skin
- Sour cream, for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the tomatillos on a roasting pan along with half of the onion, the 6 whole garlic cloves and the jalapeños. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 35 minutes, until tender.
- Transfer the vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth. Add the lime juice, chopped cilantro and 2 tablespoons of the honey and pulse to blend. Season the tomatillo salsa with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Rinse out the blender.
- In a medium saucepan, heat another 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chipotle, cumin, chopped garlic and the remaining onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans with their liquid and 1/4 cup of water and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Transfer the black bean mixture to the blender and puree until smooth. Season the sauce with salt.
- Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey with the ancho chile powder and mustard and season with salt. Brush the salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the fish skin side down over moderately high heat until very crisp, about 3 minutes. Cook the fish on the remaining 3 sides just until lightly charred, 3 minutes longer. Brush the salmon with the chile-honey glaze and grill skin side up until lightly caramelized, 2 minutes.
- Spoon the tomatillo salsa on plates and top with the salmon. Garnish with sour cream and the cilantro sprigs and serve with the black bean sauce.
Okay, it looks like a great recipe should you decide to make the 2 sauces and the jalapeno crema. However, I had neither the time nor the tomatillos, so here is my version. I served it with grilled zucchini planks (brushed with some of the glaze) and a mixed-grain pilaf.
