Sear Roasted Salmon with Knob Creek Maple Orange Glaze. Seared salmon with a sweet and tart glaze.
It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and I need a change. (Please, no more turkey!) Salmon to the rescue.
I never thought I’d beg for turkey mercy. I’m a Sunday roast kind of guy, and I love a good roast bird. But...in November, I cooked three turkeys for the blog. I cooked three more for my family’s big Thanksgiving dinner. I had turkey soup the next day. I’m done with turkey - for a few weeks at least. I’ve still got bones in the freezer to turn into stock.
I planned on Copper river salmon, but one look and I switched to the King salmon.When you buy seafood, buy what looks good. Flexibility at the fish case will result in better dinners. (And if nothing looks great? Cut your losses and switch to pork chops.)
The fillets were 1 ½ inches thick - too thick to cook through on the stove top without overcooking the outside. So I used sear roasting to cook them. Sear roasting gives the best of both worlds - searing browns the flesh side, and then the pan goes into the oven, gently roasting the fish to the perfect temperature. (For me, that means medium - 130°F - when the center is just losing its raw color.)
A quick glaze adds another layer of flavor to the recipe. I simmered Knob Creek Smoked Maple bourbon, maple syrup, and the juice of an orange, and brushed it on right before roasting.
This was high quality salmon - I could have skipped the glaze. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted that sweet, tart, crunchy crust on the fish. And, if I can add bourbon while I’m cooking, it’s always a bonus.
Adapted From: How To Cook a Perfect Fish Fillet, Tom Douglas, Fine Cooking Magazine, issue 92
Sear Roasted Salmon with Knob Creek Maple Orange Glaze
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Sear Roasted Salmon with Knob Creek Maple® Orange Glaze. Salmon, seared on the stovetop, finished in the oven, and glazed with Knob Creek Maple® and orange.
Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, preferably wild
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground peppercorn mix
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Knob Creek Maple Orange Glaze
- ¼ cup Knob Creek Smoked Maple Bourbon (or plain bourbon)
- ¼ cup maple syrup (preferably grade B)
- Juice of 1 orange
Instructions
- Season the salmon, simmer the glaze: Heat the oven to 400°F. Sprinkle the salmon fillets with the salt and pepper. Put the maple orange glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the glaze reduces and thickens.
- Sear roast the salmon: In the 12-inch frypan, heat the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add the salmon to the pan, skin side up. Shake the pan to get oil under the salmon, then let them sit and sear for 3 minutes, or until they are well browned on the bottom. Turn off the heat, flip the salmon skin side down, and brush the salmon generously with the maple orange glaze. Slide the frypan into the oven and roast for about 5 minutes, until the salmon is barely cooked in the center (the internal temperature is 130°F, and the thickest part has just turned opaque).
- Serve the salmon: Remove the salmon from the oven (be careful, the handle of the pan is searing hot), and transfer immediately to a serving plate. Brush the salmon one more time with the maple orange glaze, and serve.
Notes
If you have a fantastic piece of salmon, and you want the salmon flavor to come through without a glaze, great! Skip the “brush with glaze” instructions, and sear-roast it with salt and pepper.
Don’t mess with the salmon while it is browning, or it will stick and shred. It will release from the pan when it is properly browned on the bottom. Also, don’t skimp on the oil; the layer of heated oil keeps the fish from sticking to the pan. (If you have an oven safe nonstick pan, now is the time to use it.)
Try to get fish cut into roughly the same size fillets. I had two different sizes – a couple of fillets were a lot wider than the others. The thin pieces weighed six ounces, were as wide as they were tall, and cooked as described – sear for four minutes, roast for five. The large pieces were twice as wide as they were thick, and weighed close to a pound each. They took ten minutes of roasting to cook to 130°F. By that time, the thin pieces were overcooked. I should have cut the big pieces in half.
Tools
12 inch oven safe frypan (I use my favorite pan – a 12 inch All-Clad frypan)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
Keywords: Sear Roasted Salmon with Knob Creek Maple Orange Glaze
Special Thanks
To Knob Creek® Brothers of Bourbon for the bottle of Knob Creek® Smoked Maple.
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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BONNIE says
An immersion blender is so much better than a potato masher.
Howard Thompson says
Oh, my bad. I looked again and the "minimum" line is WAY low, so 1/2 cup will work. I was looking at the 1/3 line. Duh.
Anyway, I'm making this tonight!
Howard Thompson says
Thanks Mike. I've got a new one (Fisler). The manual likes the minimum fill line so I'll go with that got my first attempt.
I appreciate your response
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Most modern pressure cookers are ok with 1/2 cup of liquid...but...some older ones, especially "jiggle top" cookers, need more. Check your manual, if you have it, or can find it online.
If you can't find the manual, use that minimum fill line. If the pressure cooker runs dry, it will lose pressure and scorch the pot.
Howard Thompson says
What about the minimum fill line on my pressure cooker? I don't think ½ cup water will get yo the minimum line. Should I use more water or trust it will work?
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Sorry, I don't know - anyone out there at the sale?
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
What website is down? I thought the factory sale was only available in person in Washington, PA.
meandyou says
Their sale website is 503 unavailable right now. FAIL.
Bound4Mexico says
Anyone know if they have any of the discontinued cop r chef?