Chili-Maple Glazed Salmon

By Ann Fulton
36 Replies
A simple spice rub and easy glaze meet heart-healthy salmon in this effortless entree that's worthy of the regular dinner rotation!
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A simple spice rub and easy glaze meet protein- and omega 3-rich salmon in this effortless entree that’s worthy of the regular dinner rotation!

 

 

Early every spring, on a family farm in Lander, Pennsylvania, friends of ours engage in the annual tradition of “sugaring.”  The labor of love requires hand-drilling their Maple trees, removing hundreds of gallons of sap, boiling it down, to be rewarded with a sweet, sticky condiment that goes far beyond pancakes.

As they were engaged in this process, I was coincidently reading a book called “The Dirty Life”, a true story in which a woman leaves her chic New York City life as a travel writer to work on a farm and start a year-round farm share with a man she ultimately married.  (Great read, by the way!)

In the book, they were boiling down hundreds of gallons of sap, just as my friends were doing the same in Landers.  The sap is boiled in an “evaporator” which has a huge fire burning underneath and must be tended constantly.  Amazingly, it takes about 45 gallons of sap to yield one gallon of syrup.  The sugaring season occurs in the spring, when temperatures dip below freezing at night, and are above freezing during the day.  Depending entirely on the weather, the season can start in February and last until April.

I have long cooked and baked with maple syrup for its robust sweetness.  A natural sweetener, it pairs well with savory dishes and provides a sweet counter-balance to tangy ingredients like Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar.  

One the first salad dressings I created is Maple Dijon Vinaigrette, in which these ingredients are simply yet perfectly balanced.  I have, in turn, used that on roasted vegetables for delicious twist.

When we received a tin of this incredible syrup as a generous gift, I was inspired to cook with it in new ways.  The following salmon recipe is sure to be a year-round favorite in our house, and perhaps in yours.  It’s easy enough for a casual weeknight meal but special enough for company.

Our friends also shared some fun pictures from their annual sugaring expedition!

Early every spring, on a family farm in Lander, Pennsylvania, friends of ours engage in the annual tradition of “sugaring.”  The labor of love requires hand-drilling their Maple trees, removing hundreds of gallons of sap, boiling it down, to be rewarded with a sweet, sticky condiment that goes far beyond pancakes.

There are several types of maple trees suitable for tapping syrup, although the sugar maple is considered the best because it has the highest sugar content.

Early every spring, on a family farm in Lander, Pennsylvania, friends of ours engage in the annual tradition of “sugaring.”  The labor of love requires hand-drilling their Maple trees, removing hundreds of gallons of sap, boiling it down, to be rewarded with a sweet, sticky condiment that goes far beyond pancakes.

The white tap that you see drilled into the tree is called a spile.

Early every spring, on a family farm in Lander, Pennsylvania, friends of ours engage in the annual tradition of “sugaring.”  The labor of love requires hand-drilling their Maple trees, removing hundreds of gallons of sap, boiling it down, to be rewarded with a sweet, sticky condiment that goes far beyond pancakes.

The sap that comes out of the tree will be clear and will taste like water with a very slight sweetness to it. Sap flows the best when temperatures climb into the 40s during the day but dip below freezing at night.

Early every spring, on a family farm in Lander, Pennsylvania, friends of ours engage in the annual tradition of “sugaring.”  The labor of love requires hand-drilling their Maple trees, removing hundreds of gallons of sap, boiling it down, to be rewarded with a sweet, sticky condiment that goes far beyond pancakes.

It takes about 45 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. Professionals boil the sap down in a “sugar shack,” using a large, flat vessel called an “evaporator”, as pictured above.

 

Chili-Maple Glazed Salmon
Yield: 4 servings (recipe is easy to scale up or down)
This year-round favorite is easy enough for a casual weeknights but special enough for company. Plus, it's loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s!
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Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder (may substitute regular chile powder)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 4 (6-ounce) fillets salmon
  • 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Preheat the broiler.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, and salt.  Rub the spice mixture over the salmon.  Place the salmon on a baking sheet (see tip, below) and broil for 6 minutes or until not quite cooked through.  Remove from the oven, baste with the maple syrup, and broil for 1 minute or until nicely glazed and barely cooked through.
  3. The salmon will continue cooking a bit once removed from oven, so be sure not to overcook.  When in doubt, don’t hesitate to take a knife and cut just enough to peek inside.
Notes

Prefer not to eat the skin? Line your baking sheet with foil－but do not grease it－and place the salmon fillets skin side down.  Once cooked, the skin will stick to the foil and you can gently slip your spatula between the skin and the flesh. This is an easy way to remove the skin and makes clean up a snap! If you’d like to keep the skin and the easy cleanup, simply line the baking sheet with foil and lightly grease or spray it.

A few more things… Leaner, firmer wild salmon, like sockeye, will cook faster that the comparatively fattier farmed salmon. When using a thermometer to gauge doneness, I aim for an internal temperature of 120℉ for wild salmon and 125℉ for farmed. When in doubt, check a little early and look for an internal temperature of roughly 10℉ under before broiling.

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Comments

  2. Tonya

    This recipe is very flavorful and one of our favorites! Now many small syrup farms are using a reverse osmosis process to remove water from sap, giving the sap a higher concentration and speeding up the syrup boiling process.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ann Post author

      Thanks so much for mentioning this, Tonya. It’s hard to believe this post is nine years old and a lot has changed. Might need to come up with a new recipe using maple syrup so I can include an update!

      Reply ↓
    1. Ann Post author

      Hi Jenn, I broil on high from the upper shelf, which is about 5 inches from the element. I have noticed a lot of variation in broilers from oven to oven, so if the salmon begins to brown too much before the center is cooked to your liking, either move it to the center rack and continue or drape a piece of foil overtop. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!

      Reply ↓
  4. Rick

    Tried this tonight. Turned out fantastic. I had to double the maple syrup to mix a bigger batch of glaze for the rice. Thanks so much.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ann Post author

      Fabulous! So glad it was a success, Rick, and that the extra glaze added something special to a side of rice.

      Reply ↓
    1. Ann Post author

      It isn’t a lot, Wendy. I added it to the spice mix to encourage a little caramelization, but you could omit it without a major effect if you don’t have any on hand. Most of the sweetness comes from basting with maple syrup. Hope that helps and that you enjoy if you try!

      Reply ↓
  7. Mary Lou Keller

    I finally got around to making tonight. It is a keeper for sure! The salmon fillet I had was kind of thin, and I wound up cooking too long but it was still amazing.

    Reply ↓
  8. Mary Lou Keller

    This recipe popped up in my Facebook feed and reminded me i never made it. I need to remedy that!
    Hope you are doing well!

    Reply ↓
    1. Ann

      So good to “see” you, Mary Lou! All is well here–rather cold and snowy. I hope you are doing well, too, and that you enjoy the salmon!

      Reply ↓

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  10. Carol Sacks

    Hi Ann, I just served this salmon to my family and they ate every bite — including my daughter, who isn’t crazy for salmon. It’s a terrific recipe. I’ll be making this often.

    Reply ↓

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  12. Diane

    I use this recipe every time I have salmon or steelhead trout….Absolutely love it!!! Has anyone tried it on whitefish at all? I have thought about it but have been chicken to try it.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ann

      I am thrilled you love this as much as we do, Diane. Out of habit–and because we love it–I always prepare it with salmon. Black cod or even an regular cod could be tasty. And I think the flavors would pair nicely with pork. If you try something else, I would love to know!

      Reply ↓
  13. Mary Lou Keller

    Good afternoon Ann.. just found this recipe and I am going to make it tonight, I have samon thawing in the fridge. Might be an odd pairing, but I am also making the crispy topped mac and cheese for the side, I am wanting comfort food in the worst way with this cold snap we are in the midst of.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ann

      Thank you very much, Carrie! I just visited your blog and I see a fantastic variety of great recipes. I am honored that you included this one!

      Reply ↓
  16. Jana

    I just purchased salmon yesterday to cook. I think I will be using your recipe, it sounds so good! Thanks for sharing.
    Visiting you from Foodie-Friday party.

    Reply ↓

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