Salmon with honey-balsamic glaze

Editor’s note: I clipped this recipe from a newspaper — I think The Washington Post — years ago and stuffed it in a folder where I keep recipes for foods my family enjoys. The clipping says the recipe was adapted from one in the cookbook “Covered In Honey,” by Mani Niall. I’ve adapted it a bit, too. 

Ingredients:

• Four salmon fillets
• salt and pepper to taste
• about 4 teaspoons of  olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of honey

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Whisk together the vinegar and honey.
• Pat the salmon fillets dry and season them with salt and pepper.
• Now, you have a choice: You can pan-sear the salmon first, then finish the cooking process in the oven, or you can drizzle the glaze over the salmon and cook it in the oven the whole time. The recipe I clipped out calls for pan-searing it first, so…
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the salmon to it, skin-side up. Don’t turn it for 2 minutes, and if the salmon is sticking to the skillet when you try to turn it, let it cook for about 30 seconds more.
• Then flip the salmon and cook for another minute or two (it won’t be cooked through at this point, but it should be lightly browned and crisp).
• Next, drizzle the salmon fillets with the honey-balsamic mixture (save some of the mixture for drizzling after the fish is fully cooked) and transfer the salmon to the heated oven, preferably in the skillet.
• Finish the cooking process in the oven — salmon is done when it’s flaky and pink.
• Remove the fish from the oven and drizzle it with the honey-balsamic glaze you have left over.
• Chopped fresh chives are a nice garnish for the fish, but they’re optional.
• I like salmon with potatoes — chopped, seasoned with salt, pepper and thyme and roasted — plus a green vegetable.

Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/healthylifeva/2012/09/27/salmon-with-honey-balsamic-glaze/