Grilled Maple Salmon with Ginger and Garlic

 I must have read about a million recipes on how to cook salmon. Of that million I’ve probably use about a thousand of those. Yes, I’m exaggerating a tad. But, I have cooked Salmon in many different styles, both purposely and experimental. Salmon is one of those things you acquire a taste for, at lest for me, I came to love it over time. My first Salmon steak experience was at my Aunt house, in Laguna Beach California. I can’t say I was overly thrilled to have it for a meal at age 12. I was more of a Mac and Cheese, Hamburger and Hot Dog kind of kid at the time.

My Aunt and Uncle in the 70’s were big into the Real Estate market in that part of California and of course they had many different hobbies. My Aunts hobby was food. She loved to Wine and Dine us when we came to visit in the summers. I blame a lot of my interest in food on her. It was amazing that she could make food I would normally dry heave at the very thought of eating, taste and look amazingly good and Salmon being one of those items that just didn’t look appealing to me. I recall her asking me if I like Tuna sandwiches, and of course I replied that I did. So she prepared some grilled Salmon all the while toasting some local French bread and making a simple garlic Aioli. She served it to me somewhat disguised. I ate it down!

My time cooking in kitchens I have prepared dish after dish of Salmon grilled, poached, steamed, baked and on a few occasions just cooked with citrus juices. My personal favorite is fresh Salmon grilled with just Salt, Pepper, and a bit of garlic, Simple, but yet delicious. But, I find that a lot of people want something infused into there Salmons taste like Sweet, savory, Salty, Nutty and Citrusy. I think the most popular taste was teriyaki. People recognized it and new they liked anything Teriyaki. Simply, I just marinated the Salmon in Teriyaki for a day and then grilled it when I needed it. When I turned the Salmon over it was a matter of brushing the top of the Salmon with the grill marks and sprinkling with sesame seeds. It seems to always have been a hit and we always ran out of Salmon before the end of the nightly service.

So lately, with Salmon being on my mind and also some of the dishes that my Sister in-law writes about using Maple Syrup, my cog and wheels have been thinking about uniting the two. I will admit I have not cooked with Maple Syrup to many times and I’m no expert by any standards, but it does have a distinct flavor and depending on the region the Maple Trees grows, will depend on the flavor of your Maple Syrup.

So here is my attempt to infuse Salmon and Maple Syrup. That almost sounds like the beginnings of a bad joke, “this Salmon walked into a Bar and sat next to a Maple tree……..” Ok, let’s not go there; instead let’s just move forward to the recipe. Here you go!

Grilled Maple Salmon with Ginger and Garlic

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

1/3 cup orange juice – (Squeezed fresh)

1/3 cup maple syrup – (100% maple syrup, shoot for Vermont Maple Syrup)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

3 cloves minced garlic

Sesame seeds

Directions:

In a bowl whisk the maple syrup, soy sauce, orange juice, ginger, and garlic. Then pour the marinade into a baking dish, place salmon in the marinade, and refrigerate covered for 24 hours.

Bring your grill up to med-high heat.

Grill Advice:

It’s very important to make sure you brush your grates clean once your grill is up to heat. After you brush them vigorously, let them sit a bit to burn off any residue prior to prepping your grates for the Salmon.

Going to Task:

Brush your grates with olive oil. If you feel the need, Season salmon fillets with a pinch of Sea salt (not too much since you’re using soy in the marinade) and pepper, then grill 3 minutes per side, only turning once. I know you want to poke and prod the little buggers but resist the urge!!!

When you turn your Salmon brush the grill marked top with your leftover marinade and then sprinkle the sesame seed on the top. Depending on how much you like Sesame seeds, just coat lightly or heavily.

Pull your Salmon of the grill and serve. No need for a resting time since the Salmon will keep cooking for a minute after you pull it off the grill. Salmon does not require a resting time as meat commonly does.

Personally, I think this would serve well on a bed of Bean and Alfalfa sprouts mixed with a little flat leaf Parsley. But that’s just my personal taste. Just go crazy with what you like.

Finito!