Can we talk about the fish, er…elephant in the room for a second? I know that salmon is good for you and is a staple in many households, but I didn’t grow up with it and I’ve been having a heckuva time trying to like it. If you ask a salmon lover for a recipe, they will steer you to some of the classics–lemon and dill, lemon and thyme, made en papillote (literally means cooked in paper), grilled, I could go on. I think I’ve finally cobbled together enough recipes to come out with a winning non-fishy salmon dish. Does this recipe magically turn your salmon into a steak? Sadly no. Does it hide most of the salmon-ness? You betcha! So, if your doctor, spouse, or parent has been bugging you to embrace the Omega-3s, embrace this Fish Hater’s Guide to Salmon. You’re welcome!
INGREDIENTS
Salmon
- 3 4-6 oz Salmon Filets
- Salt and Pepper
Glaze
- 3 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce or GF Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Rice Vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, use cooking spray.
Generously season both sides of the salmon filets with salt and pepper.
Place the filets on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
Now, time to make the glaze!
In a small saucepan, combine all of the glaze ingredients over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir, and set aside.
Remove the cooked salmon from the oven and switch the oven to broil.
Using a basting brush, cover every inch of the salmon with the glaze. Don’t skip the sides!
Return to the oven and broil for 3 minutes.
There you have it! A nice juicy steak! Errr some non-fishy salmon :). I’d love to hear what you think and if you have other go-to recipes like this one!
I like to serve this recipe with a creamy polenta and Quickie Steamed Broccoli. Enjoy!
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A Fish Hater's Guide to Salmon
Ingredients
Salmon
- 3 4 - 6 oz Salmon Filets
- Salt and Pepper
Glaze
- 3 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Rice Vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, use cooking spray.
- Generously season both sides of the salmon filets with salt and pepper.
- Place the filets on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
- While the salmon is cooking, make the sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir, and set aside.
- Remove the cooked salmon from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Using a basting brush, cover every inch of the salmon in the glaze. Don't skip the sides! Return to the oven and broil for 3 minutes.
- I like to serve this with a creamy polenta and steamed broccoli.
Awesome dish
Thanks Jon! So glad you like it!
I tried this recipe tonight and had my 5 year old daughter help me. She has not ever liked fish due to its fishy smell. We soaked the salmon in milk and left covered in fridge for 24 hours! Probably didnt need to stay in that long, but it didnt hurt. My picky 5 year old liked it and said that it didnt hardly taste fishy at all! And the glaze was a welcome sweetness. I would send a picture but don’t see how to on your site.
Hi Christina, I’m so thrilled you tried it and it was a hit! I’m with your daughter–it’s taken me a long time to get over the fishy smell of salmon 🙂 Feel free to email me at 500spatulas@gmail.com or you can tag me on instagram or facebook @500spatulas. Happy cooking and stay safe!
Thanks for that milk tip. I always did it with liver but never thought about soaking fish.
Excellent but I would have made the sauce less liquidy.
I’m so glad you liked it! If you prefer a thicker sauce, after it comes to a boil, you can try reducing the heat and letting it cook down some. You could also whisk in a 1/2 tsp of cornstarch to the sauce while it boils. Happy cooking!
there’s no excuse for s shitty print button that prints the entire webpage, comments and all, instead of just the recipe.
Thank you for your feedback. The print icon on the recipe card (towards the bottom of the post) allows you to print just the recipe 🙂 Hope this helps! Happy cooking
I found the print button ( as Talia instructed)and was able to print without ads, etc and without making a nasty comment.
🙂 I’m so glad you found it easily! Hope you enjoy the recipe!!
There’s no excuse for being a choosy beggar but here you are.
Remember that time you didn’t know how to use the internet?
I eat pretty much everything but I could never get a salmon that I liked. Saw this recipe and thought I would try it. It was fantastic. I actually enjoyed eating my whole piece of salmon. Served it with a little bit of rice and veggies. I can see where this would be delicious with shrimp or scallops as well. I will admit I put a little ginger in mine because I happen to love Ginger but I could see where it would be just as good without it. Definitely try it. oh and if you love Sam and try… Read more »
This totally made my day! From one salmon hater to another, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it! Happy cooking
– Talia
I, too, dislike salmon but know it is good for me. I am a Type 1 diabetic, so the brown sugar and maple syrup are too high in carbs for me…I am going to try and adapt the recipe by using Splenda for the brown sugar and sugar free syrup for the maple syrup…wish me luck!
Hope it turns out! Thanks for trying it 🙂
Thank you for acknowledging that fish haters are people too! My secret go-to is to have a side salad and drown it in Asian vinaigrette, taking a bite of that with every salmon “pill.”
😂 must..eat..salmon.. I’ll have to try a vinaigrette bath next time!
I hate fish but I this recipe made believer out of me. I served it a a dinner party and it was a hit. Thank you for sharing it with us..
Oh I’m so happy to hear this!! Be well!
This was delicious! I don’t really like salmon although I do love most fish, this recipe made me a believer, salmon CAN be good!
This made my day! Thank you for trying it and sharing!
Historically, I hate salmon… or ANY fish unless it’s battered and fried. This was so delicious! I used frozen Atlantic Salmon cubes. I made a few swaps because of my AIP diet (coconut sugar in place of brown sugar, coconut aminos in place of soy sauce). The result was perfectly cooked, seasoned and glazed deliciousness. Thanks for sharing this with a now former salmon hater 😉
Oh I’m thrilled to hear this! Thank you for trying it and I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Thank you so much Talia for posting this recipe! To find it I typed fish recipes for fish haters, lol! My husband, an adamant fish hater, actually liked it particularly with polenta/grits. He loved the sauce so much he wants me to put it on some chicken but I told him he only gets it with fish (which his cardiologist wants him to eat more of). Thank you again!
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! A man after my own heart 🙂
That glaze is delicious thank you! One question- when you broil it, should it be on “high” setting? I had mine on high and it got ever so slightly burnt on top!
I’m so glad you liked the glaze! I would recommend using the middle rack for the broiler step, to avoid any charring. Enjoy it!
Thank you for the recipe. I thought I was the only one in the world who can’t/won’t just luuuuuv salmon. The “fish pill” comment made me laugh so hard. Nice to know I’m far from alone.
My husband has been told to eat more salmon, but hates it!
This is the only way he can eats it and actually looks forward to it!
Thank you!
For anyone who is looking at this and is skeptical, PLEASE give it a shot it’s SO GOOD and I hate salmon. I made my sauce slightly thicker and did lemon juice because I’m out of vinegar but it was so good I at 2 pieces and my 4yr old even ate some!
What a compliment! I’m so happy it was a success!