Baked Salmon with Maple-Ginger Glaze
We love salmon, and more often than not, we marinate it in the ginger sesame marinade from Ginger People and grill it outside. Sometimes, however, if it’s raining or snowing, or so bitterly cold that it will take the grill too long to heat up, we decide to Use the oven.
I wanted something that would be as easy as cooking it on the grill, and full of flavor. Eventually I ended up with this simple preparation that takes little time to put together, and then has unattended time in the oven.
I must admit that for years I didn’t measure anything when mixing the glaze, but once I decided to post it here, I was careful to do so and write it down! The point is that given how many times I didn’t measure precisely, the amounts are flexible. We love ginger and the full tablespoon here gives the glaze a bit of heat, but if it’s not your favorite flavor, cut back a bit.
Regarding the ginger, while I often have some fresh in the house, sometimes I’m out. So I always keep some pieces of ginger root in the freezer. You can use a sharp grater and it will work really well on the frozen ginger. You can peel it before freezing or not, whichever is your personal preference.
I also learned that a piece of parchment will make clean-up so much easier, because without it, the skin will really stick to the pan. Finally, while I tend to bake it at a higher temperature for a shorter time, if I have something else in the oven that needs to bake at 350°F, the salmon can just bake for a longer time in the oven.
Baked Salmon with Maple-Ginger Glaze
Serves 4
Ready for the oven!
1¼-1½ pound salmon fillet
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon grated ginger, or less if preferred
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Zest of ½ a lemon
Preheat the oven to 400°F. If you are cooking something else in the oven at a lower temperature, that will be fine with a longer baking time allowed for the fish. Place the salmon skin side down on top of a piece of parchment in a roasting pan or glass baking dish.
Combine the maple syrup, ginger, mustard, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spread the glaze over the salmon.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the fish has just little bit of give when pressed lightly. If your oven is set at 350°F, it should take about 30 minutes.