Bourbon-Glazed Salmon

My favorite thing to order at The Fresh Market deli is their bourbon marinated salmon. I cannot locate the recipe anywhere. But in my search, I came across this recipe that had 97 reviews and averaged averaged 5/5 stars. So, why not give it a shot? It was FANTASTIC! What impressed me the most is how fast this meal cooks! Once the fish is marinated, you could DEFINITELY get your salmon & sides out within 30 minutes. If you make couscous as a side, your meal will be ready in 20 minutes. And if you use one of these Uncle Ben's ready rice bags that take 2 minutes or under in the microwave, you could serve dinner within 15 minutes.

We served it with multigrain pilaf (2 minutes to cook-Trader Joe's brand), green beans, and chili-roasted cauliflower (but you could do jasmine or brown rice, and I think edamame would be wonderful alonside the fish). I think you will really love this. My husband said this fish goes in the all-time favorite fish recipes of all time file. Enjoy!

BOURBON-GLAZED SALMON
Adapted from Southern Living

Serves 4

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I think I might try a little less sugar next time)
3-4 Tbsp. bourbon
1/8 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp.  freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add salmon fillets. Seal bag, and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag once. Remove fillets from bag; discard marinade.

Preheat broiler.

Place fillets on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 11 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Sprinkle each fillet with 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds and 1/2 tablespoon green onions.

Grilled Sea Bass and Fingerling Potatoes with Asian Slaw and Caper Citrus Sauce

This awesome meal is adapted from Sunset magazine.

I love meals that incorporate cabbage. This is only a quasi-Asian meal. Traditional cole slaw is not something we like (due to mayo & sugar), so I came up with our own version of "slaw". It's crisp, fresh-tasting, and tart. You can add mayo if you must.

Sea Bass can be VERY expensive, but I happened to come across some at Costco for a good deal. The fingerling potatoes are a fun side dish when you consider they include purple potatoes, and the caper-citrus sauce really brings the meal together while still keeping it light. Just try not to burn the potatoes like I did.

GRILLED SEA BASS, FINGERLING POTATOES WITH ASIAN SLAW AND CAPER CITRUS SAUCE

Prepare a grill for medium heat (350° to 450°).

Coat 1½ lbs. fingerling potatoes, sliced lengthwise, with olive oil. Lay a cooling rack on half of cooking grate and spread potatoes out evenly. Grill until brown, turning, then transfer to a platter and sprinkle with ½ tsp. kosher salt and some chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Rub 4 striped bass fillets (recipe says "with skin on", but I had skinless fillets- about 2 lbs.), halved, with 1 tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Grill on oiled grate, turning once, until grill marks appear, about 5 minutes.


Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine:

2 tbsp. chopped capers
1 tsp. each fresh lemon juice and zest (I used lime juice & zest)
1/3 cup mayonnaise (I used 1 Tbsp. only)

Serve the fish with lemon/lime wedges, potatoes, caper mayonnaise and cabbage slaw (recipe below).

CABBAGE SLAW

1/3 head green cabbage, roughly chopped (avoid the hard core)

1- 1 1/2 carrots, grated

2 celery sticks, sliced in half moons

1/2 cup cooked edamame beans (optional-our child ate the ones I planned to use)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or roughly 1 big handful)
1/2 tsp. grated ginger (VERY optional-but good for rounding out the Asian taste)

Dressing:
1 lemon or lime, juiced
Olive oil (roughly 1-2 Tbsp.---but if you want to go traditional Asian, try peanut or sesame oil)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Gently toss all ingredients together & serve. Makes approximately 3-4 servings.