Courtesy of Fresh, Frugal, Fabulous
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ stick butter
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ t. red pepper flakes
- ¼ c. brown sugar, packed
- ¼ c. fresh lime juice
- ¼ c. soy sauce
- 1 t. cornstarch dissolved in 1 t. water
- 4 – 6 oz. skinless Wild Caught Alaskan King Salmon fillets, cut from the thicker end; room temperature
- Slivered scallions or lime wedges for garnish, optional
- Coconut Rice with Scallions and Cilantro for serving, optional
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Place a small saucepan over medium low heat and melt the butter. Add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and sauté for a few minutes until the shallot begins to soften.
3. Whisk in the brown sugar, increase the heat a little bit, and cook for about five minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and mixture begins to bubble.
4. Add in the lime juice and the soy sauce, and bring up to a boil. Boil gently until mixture is reduced to about ¾ c. (this usually takes me about 7 minutes or so). Stir the cornstarch and water mixture, then add to the soy / lime mixture.
5. Simmer gently until sauce thickens a bit, about three more minutes. Set sauce to the side and keep warm.
6. Next, place a medium sized, oven proof sauté pan over medium high heat. Allow the pan to come up to temperature while you pat the salmon fillets dry and season to taste with salt and pepper. (You’ll know the pan is hot enough when a drop of water evaporates almost immediately.)
7. Add enough neutral cooking oil (canola, etc) to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the salmon fillets, skinned side up. Leave them there for a full three minutes without fiddling or scooting them around. After three minutes, gently turn the salmon with a long spatula. Spoon a bit of the reserved sauce over the fillets, and place them in the oven for 5 minutes to finish cooking.
8. Remove salmon from the oven. Place scoops of rice on to four dinner plates, top with salmon fillets and an additional drizzle of sauce (to pass at the table.) Garnish with slivered scallions or lime wedges if desired.
SERVES 4
