Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Irish Roasted Salmon


And a "top o' the day to you"! With St. Patrick's day falling on Saturday, we're posting delicious Irish-inspired recipes all week............



This Irish Roasted Salmon recipe has a fantastic combination of ingredients: honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh thyme and a bit of................yes, Irish whisky! A long, slow marinade helps the salmon to soak up all the delicious flavors. The marinade comes together quickly and all that's left is a short roast in a hot oven, making this salmon ideal for a yummy weeknight treat, yet special enough for guests. I served it with roasted asparagus and a fabulous Irish potato dish, Colcannon (yesterday's post) This recipe is definitely on my "keeper" list!


Irish Roasted Salmon

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup Irish whiskey*
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 salmon fillets
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Directions:
1. Mix together honey, lemon juice, whiskey, thyme, lemon zest and oil in a large zip lock bag. Add salmon and marinate 4-6 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat oven to 450°F. Remove salmon from marinade and place on a foil lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Place marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 4-5 minutes or until reduced to half the volume. Mixture will be syrupy. Add butter and swirl pan until butter is melted. Add the 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme.

3. Roast salmon for 10-12 minutes, basting with the sauce half way through. Place under broiler for the last few minutes if you like a more golden exterior. This is not necessary but makes for a more attractive appearance. Transfer salmon to serving plates or platter and drizzle with sauce.

Notes:
*The alcohol from the Irish whiskey is complete burned off as the sauce cooks, but does give the salmon a delicious, unique flavor. If you don't care for cooking with spirits just skip it - the salmon and sauce will still be delicious.

Adapted from Food.com


19 comments:

  1. This sounds fantastic! I've never cooked with Irish whiskey and have no idea how it tastes, but I would use it if I make it--it's a must! :)

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  2. I would love to taste this marinade. I have to say, I'm pretty curious about the taste of the whisky. Next time I have a bottle of this, I'm trying this recipe!

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  3. Looks great, but St. Patrick's day is Saturday. You scared me for a minute there.

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  4. Oh yum! My family will not eat fish, unless it's a fish stick! I would love to make this recipe. Maybe I'll pick up one salmon and just make it for me! Now that I think of it, I most definitly will.

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  5. Thanks for another encouraging recipe to try with salmon - I like it now! - it's even my idea to cook it now and I love this method of preparing it. thanks, regina

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  6. @Mom24Thanks Mom24! I guess the daylight savings time put me not just an hour ahead, but a day ahead too! :)

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  7. So tell me, did you sample a wee bit of whiskey while making the salmon? Hmmmmm??? :) It looks delicious. I love the caramelization you got on the edges of the salmon.

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  8. you make me laugh again, actually, I'm not much of a "whisky drinker" but it sure make for delicious salmon!

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  9. Another delicious-sounding recipe from you! While I don't drink whiskey and never have any in the house, the liquor store sells little tiny bottles of everything. They probably hold 1/4 cup and only cost about $1.99, so I will definitely make the recipe as is.

    Thanks,
    Patti

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  10. Thanks Patti, this is a great suggestion!

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  11. What an amazing meal, I love salmon and that mash looks somewhat very tasty!!
    Take care..

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  12. everything you make is so beautiful! I love the sound of this dish and that mash looks fabulous too! Thanks for sharing :)

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  13. ooo Salmon, always find a way into my heart~

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  14. I adore salmon and this looks so yummy Chris. A lucky for me find! Happy St. Patty's and thanks for sharing all of your glorious ideas.

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  15. That looks simple and healthy. What did you put in the mash?

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  16. This looks like a perfect meal to me. Makes me want to go out and grab the ingredients and get cooking. Congrats on your one year anniversary. Your site is so professional looking and your food too it never looked like you suffered from the beginners blog curve like me :)

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  17. Suzanne, you are so sweet, thanks for your kind words! I definitely have had beginners blog curve but I am quite a bit older than you so I've been cooking for probably a hundred more years than you! :)

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  18. i'm glad that you mentioned that we can skip the irish whiskey, not sure if we can get it here. you have cooked this so well, i love the golden colour of the salmon and everything!

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