Smoky, Sweet and Spicy Salmon Sunday Glaze
Sweet & spicy with an hint of sesame oil & smoky sea salt.
Equipment
- cast iron, salt blocks, a pan to cook salmon in the oven or on the grill.
- measuring spoons
- pastry brush
- thermometer and/or fork to test for doness
Ingredients
- 10 oz salmon fillets Skin on, two large fillets. (If there is no skin, it will cook much faster!) Cook up large fillets so you have leftovers for salmon patties!
- ¼ tsp smoked sea salt Or enough to generously salt each filet.
- 2 tbsb sriracha Or, you can use all gochujang. You don't really need both hot sauces but we like the combo.
- 1½ tbsp gochujang Or, use all sriracha. You don't really need both hot sauces but we like the combo. I use Sempio *gochujang.
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar Raw, turbinado sugar works fine as well. (sprinkle extra brown sugar on top if you prefer a more sweet than spicy glaze, and a browned, caramelized top)
- ½ tsp Lawry's coarse ground garlic powder with parsley Optional
- 1 tbsp sesame oil I like Sun Luck or Kadoya sesame oil. They add much more flavor than store brand.
- ½ tbsp honey Optional (also great to drizzle over the top of the glazed raw salmon for a sweeter, less spicy glaze)
Instructions
- Rinse filets and pat completely dry. Salt each filet generously with smoky sea.
- Mix brown sugar, garlic powder and hot sauce(s) in a bowl or zip-top bag and combine well. (If you don't like a lot of spice, reduce to about ¾ TBSP each hot sauce)
- Brush about 1-2 tbsp of the hot sauce mixture on each salmon filet covering the top and sides. (More or less depending on how thick your fish is.) I like to brush it on and let it sit until it gets to room temperature, or just get the chill off of it for even cooking. (About 20-30 minutes or so.) Add more glaze, or reapply before grilling or baking if desired. A lot will run off.
- Right before you put the fish on to cook, drizzle a bit of sesame oil and honey over the tops. (I prefer Sun Luck or Kadoya sesame oil to this store brand... it's all I had.)
- We use salt blocks on the grill and skin-on salmon fillets. The fillets we get from our fish market are large and thick and stand up beautifully to this glaze. If your fillets are thin, you may want to brush on a lighter amount of glaze.
- Some people like to cook their salmon on lower heat, but we like to get our salt blocks up to 500° before adding the fish, skin side down on the top rack of our grill. You can also put it in a baking dish or rimmed sheet in the oven at 450°-475°. For thick salmon, over an inch thick, you will want to grill it for about 6-7 minutes with the lid closed (NO PEEKING) then check the temp or do the fork test (explained below). Overcooked salmon can be dry, so set a timer!
- *Never-fail salmon fork test: Stick the tines of a fork just over halfway into the fish and hold it there for ten seconds. Remove and carefully tap it on your wrist (our tounge) and if it's nice and warm, the fish is done. If the tines are still cool, cook it a couple minutes at a time checking it with the fork test frequently. Overcooked salmon is not great. The USDA currently recommends 145°, but you may like it more or less cooked. Nice thick filets usually take us anywhere from 10-15 minutes tops. ***Fillets without skin will cook much faster!
Notes
NOTE: The nutritional value posted assumes none of the glaze will run off. Actually about half of it will run off before the fish is cooked.
Confession - sometimes I just add the hot sauces and brown sugar directly to the fish and brush with a pastry brush to combine.
TIP: Buy the largest fillets you can, then you can use the leftovers to make salmon patties!
If you don't have smoked sea salt, try my other recipe that uses soy sauce or tamari. I have tested and found name brand soy sauce flavor is far superior to the store brand. Of course, it's more expensive, but with salmon, it really makes a difference!
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Nutrition
Calories: 331kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 29gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 749mgPotassium: 763mgSugar: 14gVitamin A: 82IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
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