Caramelized Balsamic Maple Glazed Salmon (Gluten Free)
This slightly sweet and caramelized maple and balsamic salmon is the perfect "fancy" meal, with not much effort or cost.
Equipment
- 1 cast iron or skillet
- 1 Baking sheet
- sheet of parchment
Ingredients
- 2-3 5-7 oz . salmon fillets, skin on
- ⅛ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅛ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp tamari or gluten free soy sauce or soy sauce if gluten free is not needed
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced or crushed
- 1 tbsp orange juice or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
- ½ teaspoon minced thyme
- 1 teaspoon parsley, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1½ tbsp caesar dressing or mayo optional
- 1 cutie, orange or lemon optional
- sprigs of thyme for top or minced chives
Instructions
- Dry the salmon fillets, and lightly salt and pepper them.
- In a small bowl, stir together the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, tamari or gluten free soy sauce, garlic, lemon or orange juice, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and salt and pepper.
- Pour half of the marinade into a flat dish or pie pan, reserving the remaining marinade for the glaze. Add the salmon fillets to the dish turning several times to coat. Marinate for 1 ½ -2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Remove from the refrigerator 45 minutes prior to cooking. Turn the fish pieces several times in the marinade again.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat a cast iron or skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- To the reserved marinade, add the Caesar dressing or mayo and stir. This will be used for basting the fish during baking.
- When the skillet is very hot, shake off some of the marinade and place the fish flesh side down in the skillet. Turn the burner to about medium high heat. Sear for 2-3 minutes. The fish should be beginning to caramelize.
- Carefully remove each piece to the parchment lined baking sheet, and place skin side down. Add a few orange slices to the top if desired.
- Bake for 6-10 minutes or until the fish is the desired temperature using a instant thermometer. Baste the fish a couple of times during the baking with the reserved glaze/marinade.
- To plate, add fresh thyme sprigs or minced chives to the top of each piece, and more orange slices to the plate.
Notes
The baking time will vary depending on the size of the fillets. I like to use an instant thermometer for this reason. Always check the temperature in the thickest part of the fish.
We prefer our salmon to cook to 135° F, although 145° F is the recommended temperature for salmon.