Glazed Holiday Salmon

Salmon is often overlooked when it comes to a holiday main, but if you do it right, it can easily replace the overwhelmingly large and daunting task of roasting an entire turkey. My Glazed Holiday Salmon is smothered with a savoury tart and tangy pomegranate molasses and topped with fresh pomegranate arils!

In our home, we all love salmon. To be perfectly honest, it is very rare that we all like the same thing. And, in the case that we do, it seems that we all like it to be prepared differently. Glazed Holiday Salmon was one of those dishes that we all loved just the way it was.

I’m surprised that we all like salmon equally, to be honest. Because seafood was not something John.e grew up with at all, and in my family home, salmon wasn’t cooked often. And, whenever salmon was prepared, it was almost always coated in flour and fried with pork fat.

Cod fish was probably the number one source of seafood protein in our family home. Living in Newfoundland, in a small fishing village, in the 80s, made sure of that. Cod was in abundance back in those days, and we ate it whenever we were presented with the chance. Actually, most people ate it whenever presented with the chance, but I was a little picky when it came to the preparation of fish. 

In this instance, I’m baking the salmon fillets in a very hot oven. It literally takes only 20 minutes of baking time and the salmon is perfectly cooked through. The addition of the pomegranate molasses made perfect sense for a holiday-themed salmon recipe!

PREPARING SALMON

For most of us home cooks, salmon comes in the form of a whole side or fillets. Sometimes, we can find steaks too, but not too often. If you don’t know the terminology, let me walk you through it. A whole side of salmon is exactly what it says. The salmon has been cleaned and the side has been removed; hopefully bone free! In most cases, the skin is left on, which is the way I prefer it!

A salmon fillet is simple enough. The fillets are cut from the whole side of salmon, usually in two to three inch pieces. This is the most common cut. They’re great for frying or grilling. The whole side of salmon is hard to grill or fry, especially if you try to flip the whole thing onto the other side! In contrast, a salmon steak is a cross-sectional piece of the entire fish. It looks like a big letter U. This cut still has the bone in the middle. Again, this cut is great for frying or grilling.

For this recipe, I am using whole side that I have cut into fillets. The skin is left on, which, in my opinion, is the best way! I don’t eat the skin, but I tend to like it left on the salmon, especially if I’m going to fry it, grill it, or attempt to flip it over!.Frying can be aggressive when it comes to a delicate fish like salmon. Leaving the skin on helps to keep the salmon together, especially when flipping it over! Even in the case where flipping is not required and the salmon sits in the oven without being disturbed, I still like to leave the skin on. Besides, some people like to eat it!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this Glazed Holiday Salmon recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Salmon – I used a total of three pounds. You can use less or more. Halve the recipe or double it to suit your needs. If you are using frozen salmon, be sure the salmon is completely thawed! One fillet per person is suitable.
• Pomegranate Molasses – Simply put, this is just pomegranate juice that has been simmered and reduced until thick. You can buy this in some stores or you can easily make some at home. Here is my easy Pomegranate Molasses recipe.
• Maple Syrup – Use the good stuff here!
• Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best.
• Fresh Rosemary – I also garnished with fresh rosemary sprigs and fresh bay leaves.
• Dried Herbs and Seasonings – You will need onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper.
• Pomegranate Arils
• Parsley

HOW TO MAKE GLAZED HOLIDAY SALMON

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Next, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Lay them flat onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using only half of the sauce, use a pastry brush to generously glaze the salmon fillets. Place the salmon into the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the oven and baste with the remaining sauce. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Plate the salmon fillets onto the prepared serving plate and drizzle with the pomegranate molasses, sprinkle over the pomegranate arils, and chopped parsley. Garnish with fresh rosemary and sage leaves, if using, and serve immediately; enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

I think that Glazed Holiday Salmon deserves to shine on the plate. That is exactly why I paired the salmon with mashed potatoes. I wanted something homey and something delicious, yet muted. How about my Herb Butter Mashed Potatoes? They are very flavourful, but they will not overtake the flavours of the salmon.

Another great side for salmon is asparagus. In a large skillet, over medium high heat, melt some butter and olive oil. Once sizzling, add your asparagus, salt and pepper. Using tongs, gently turn the asparagus in the butter. Sauté them for about 3-5 minutes. Once done, turn off the heat and add some fresh lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. Turn the asparagus gently to coat with the zest and juice. This lemon flavour will compliment the lemon juice used in the glaze on the salmon.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!