Salmon will forever make me think of my Nana. Who is my Nana? My maternal grandmother. The most outrageously classy lady I know who is mostly to blame for my taste for the finer things in life. She was the first to introduce me to the theater, art museums, Lawrence of Arabia, white table cloths, Paul Simon and salmon. Much of my dining out as a kid was thanks to Nana and if there was salmon on the menu, many times, that’s what she would order. She loves it, and I love it. It’s one of those foods that I enjoy for both the taste as well as the nostalgia. Admittedly, though, I don’t make it very often at home. If I do, it’s usually smoked salmon. So, when charged with the opportunity to dream up a use for Traina Foods’ Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup with Sriracha, for some reason my brain went to fish. Salmon is the perfect canvas to layer on a tangy and spicy sauce, powerful enough to stand up to sriracha in this case. But, I wanted to sweeten things up, go for that beloved sweet & sour combo. That’s when the pineapple showed up. This recipe is elegant and balanced and nearly effortless. I’m certain this little number will do Nana proud.
(Full, printable recipe posted at the bottom.)
First, pre-heat your oven on ‘broil’ and place the rack on the upper 1/3 of the oven.
Next, make your glaze by grating 2 tsp fresh ginger and combining it with 1/2 cup of pineapple preserves (I used Smucker’s) and 1/4 cup Traina Foods’ Sun Dried Tomato Sriracha Ketchup. Be aware that this is not like regular ketchup in that it’s thicker and tangier, so if you try to sub with regular ketchup, you will have very different results. Want to find this ketchup? There’s a store locator on their website.
Next, brush the glaze over your salmon filets. Be sure, if your salmon comes with skin, that the skin side is down. I do suggest getting it with skin on, if possible. It’s a great way to lock in moisture.
Once all of your filets are glazed, place them under the pre-heated broiler for 8 to 11 minutes, depending on thickness (the ones pictured took 9 minutes). Doneness is a tricky thing. The FDA recommends cooking salmon to 145F. Me personally, I pull it from the oven in the 125 to 130 range, knowing there will be carry-over cooking happening, and because overcooked protein makes me sad. If you want to spot check your fish, it should be firm throughout, pull apart easily but still glisten a little on the inside (aka still has moisture).
While the salmon are cooking, assemble the pineapple salsa. Combine the diced pineapple, red pepper, scallions, cilantro, olive oil, pepper and salt. You can make this a day ahead if you would like. It only gets better as the flavors meld together.
Once your salmon is done cooking, you’re ready to serve. Plate each salmon and top with a generous scoop of the pineapple salsa and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
*This post is sponsored by Traina Foods, makers of Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup
*Original recipe by Joanie Simon (joaniesimon.com)
[tasty-recipe id=”6647″]
