It’s Lenten season, and I told myself I would try to do a fish series for any readers looking for ways to spice up their meatless existence. Plus, I need to eat more fish myself. It’s brain food after all! So, I’m going to try to have a new fish recipe up every week. First up, Honey-Balsamic Glazed Salmon:

Honey-Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Typically, I like my salmon pretty naked: simply seasoned and pan-seared in olive oil. But for something to spice up its rotation during the next 40 39 days, this glaze offers a nice change of pace.

The glaze is quite simple, 1 part balsamic vinegar to 2 parts honey (I used 1 & 2 Tablespoons, respectively, for one salmon filet). Heat the honey in the microwave for ~15 seconds to make it more liquid, and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Additionally, the recipe I found surfing the web, adapted from a Michael Chiarello recipe for Planked Salmon, includes a basic seasoning mix of dry mustard, black pepper, and salt. For one salmon filet, I used a dash of dry mustard, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and 3/4 tsp. salt.

Season the skin side of the salmon and then place skin-side down into a pan of hot oil. While the bottom side is cooking, spoon the honey-balsamic mixture over the salmon. Do the same on the other side when it’s time to flip. Depending on the thickness of your filet, that should be 2-3 minutes, but I like my salmon to stay a little raw in the middle. The filet pictured above is a good deal thinner that what I usually have, so it cooked pretty quickly.

The sweet/salty salmon is more flavorful than you’d expect for such a simple glaze. I served mine alongside porcini mushroom ravioli and mixed veggies, keeping things meat-free. Good luck with Lent!