Fish. It’s our once-a-week nemesis, the dish we love to hate. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, fish just doesn’t inspire us. In much the same way vegetables don’t appeal to seven year olds (I give up on hyphenating that properly), fish irks us because of it’s unyielding healthiness. We could completely obliterate the benefits of all those healthy fats and proteins by battering and deep-frying the stuff, but we don’t. It’s one small concession to our adult sensibilities, since we indulge our inner children in nearly every other regard.
Since moving to Edmonton our success rate with fish (success being measured in the level of enjoyment we get eating it) has risen dramatically. A huge part of this is having a nearby supply of wild caught fish. Living in Lethbridge we were hard-pressed to find anything but farmed seafood, and it was tough to swallow considering the awful things we hear about the environmental and nutritional degradations caused by fish farming practices. Now we have a local grocery store that carries five or six different kinds of wild caught fish, sourced from as-local-as-you-can-get-in-the-Prairies waters. That said, we are a loooooong way from the ocean here, and it’s reflected in the price of our swanky high-end vacuum packed slabs of fishy goodness. Still, cooking with nutritionally solid ingredients always helps, and this salmon recipe is a reflection of that. Pink salmon is significantly cheaper than sockeye and, ironically, noticeably less pink. It carries this punchy marinade well, and the wacky combination of chipotle and sage just works. Stroke-of-genius works. Eyes widen in surprise and appreciation works.
Oh, and don’t be scared of those chipotle peppers. They come in a little can in the Mexican food section of the grocery store, and they keep in a small air tight container in the fridge forever. Adobo sauce is the name of the deep red paste that is in the can along with them. It’s all rather spicy, so add a little bit at a time and taste test if you are really sensitive. We love spice so use two full peppers in this recipe when we make it, but there’s no shame in removing the seeds, or only using one! Better to taste the meal, than to sweat your way through it!
Ingredients:
- 700g wild pink salmon filet, skin on
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 chipotle peppers, including surrounding adobo sauce and seeds
- 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp molassas
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sage
- 1/4 tsp papkrika
- 1/8 tsp each fresh ground salt and pepper
Preparation:
Rinse the salmon under cold water and pat dry with a towel. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, whisking until well combined. Be careful not to get adobo sauce in your eye (or any other orifice) because it will burn! Chop the peppers up as small as you are able.
Pour the sauce over the salmon. If you have time to let it marinate in the fridge then go for it, it’ll just get better. We usually let it rest while the oven heats up to 400°F (200°C) and then pop it in. Bake for 12-16 minutes, or until the flesh of the salmon gets flaky.
We have noticed that this recipe causes the salmon to release a mozzarella-like substance as it bakes. After some research (thanks Google) we can assure you that it is albumin, a naturally occurring protein which is completely edible, tasty and nutritious!
Bon appétit!