Brown Sugar Roasted Norwegian Salmon with Maple Mustard Dill Sauce

I have a confession.  Despite how easy it is, I have never cooked fish in the kitchen.  I used to blame it on the fact that "fish smells" but truthfully, it was because I could never tell if it was done.  In fact, I purchased the No Name brand because they had this little plastic thing stuck inside the fish and it would pop out when the salmon was cooked.  Gross?  Yes, kinda.  Pathetic?  Definitely.  But, this is what this blog is all about.  Getting away from those short-cuts.


However, plastic fish hook thingy no more!  This post indicates that I have successfully cooked salmon.  Each month, I browse through my Cooking Light magazine and mark recipes that I intend to make.  I always keep a notecard in the front of the magazine with the page number.  When I pulled out the notecard this week, I noticed that I had indicated that one of the recipes came from an advertisement.  I flipped to the page and saw the recipe for this salmon.  Brown sugar and maple syrup?  With salmon?  YUM!


I made this dinner the other night when Ron wasn't around for dinner.  I cut the recipe in half and purchased two 6 oz. salmon fillets.  Easy enough.  I wasn't eating both pieces of fish, so I only chose to make one serving of the mustard-dill sauce - it could easily be cut in half - and it worked out perfectly.


This dinner was absolutely incredible.  I cannot even describe how good it was.  The sweet, the salt, the spice, the tang!  All of the flavors mixed together so well.  The salmon is caramelized with the brown sugar mixture for about 15 minutes prior to baking.  I also made roasted some asparagus to go along with the meal and placed it in the oven at the same time I cooked the salmon.  The asparagus was so crisp.  It was done at the same exact time the salmon was done!  Perfect timing.


If you are a fish fan (or even if you are not a fish fan), I encourage you to make this recipe!  It is simple for a weeknight meal and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and make.


Note:  I did not include a picture of the salmon with the sauce on top.  I mixed a bit too much dill in mine and it looked like green goo.  Although it looked somewhat unappetizing, the taste was amazing.

Brown Sugar Roasted Norwegian Salmon with Maple Mustard Dill Sauce
adapted from Norwegian Salmon ad in Cooking Light magazine
Yield:  The amount reflected below yields 2 servings.  Double as needed.

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp black ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 salmon filets, about 6 oz each
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp dried dill
• Fresh Asparagus, if desired (to serve as side dish) 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Combine the brown sugar, pepper & salt in a bowl.  Rub on the flesh side of the salmon, using all the mix.  Place on a plate & let stand for 15 minutes in the refrigerator, covered lightly with plastic wrap.  
3. Coat a small baking dish with 1/2 tbsp olive oil.  Put the salmon on the oil, skin side down. 
4. Drizzle the remaining oil over the top. 
5. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes or until desired doneness.  (Mine took about 13:30)
6. Combine the maple syrup, mustard & dill together to create a sauce.
7. Serve the salmon with the sauce over the top.

Asparagus

1. With oven preheated to 400 degrees, place prepared (ends cut) asparagus spears on a baking tray.
2. Drizzle spears with olive oil and toss them to coat.
3. Spread spears out evenly on baking tray.
4. Sprinkle seasoning over asparagus (I used sea salt and black pepper).
5. If preferred, sprinkle chopped garlic over asparagus.
6. Place in oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.
7. Once removed, sprinkle additional seasoning over spears (lemon juice, parmesan cheese, balsamic, etc.)