Maple-Bourbon Basted Grilled Salmon

One of my favorite cooking magazines is "Cuisine At Home".  If you've never seen an issue, please order a free preview issue from their website!  (I'm not sponsored by this magazine, nor am I being paid to say this.  I just believe that when something is really good, it deserves a shout.)  The format of the magazine is missing something.  Ads!  Each page has step-by-step photos and recipes that can be a little bit fussy, along with plenty of very simple recipes.  Like the family of Cook's Illustrated's publications, their issues teach and inspire me to cook or bake recipes that are new to me.

This June issue has several recipes that are on my radar.  I've already made a few of them, but my laptop is giving me some trouble. My husband, who has a career working with computers, is as bumfuzzled as I am frustrated with my laptop not being able to recognize USB ports!  Hence, I can't upload photos to my laptop! It's been well over a week, so I've had to resort to a painstaking workaround.  I am confident the problem will be fixed-- someday. Hence, I have recipes and photographs that are backed up and I'm anxious to share with you.  This recipe is very simple, and needs only four ingredients-- other than salmon.  I didn't have to take a lot of photos, so this recipe is being posted first.

I spotted fresh wild-caught sockeye salmon at Whole Foods.  At $18.00 a pound, it sounds very pricey.  However, I've read enough information about the dangers of farmed-fish, and so I splurged.  I paid about $6.00 per fillet.  I particularly love the beautiful red color of sockeye salmon -- unlike the cheaper farm-raised salmon that has red-dye injected into it.  You didn't know? It's something to think about...

Simple seasonings-- coarse salt & fresh cracked pepper.

The basting sauce consists of Pure Maple Syrup (not pancake syrup, please), bourbon, unsalted butter and cider vinegar.  (The cider vinegar adds acidity, which balances the rich sweetness of the baste.) Simply boil the ingredients over medium-high heat until thickened (3 minutes).

Grill fillets, covered, 3 minutes. Flip fillets, baste with maple glaze and grill until firm to the touch, 2-3 minutes more.

 Baste fillets again before serving.

I served this with a fresh corn and tomato succotash-- one of my husband's favorite side-dishes.

TASTING NOTES:  The salmon was moist, and the basting sauce had gentle notes of sweet.  The bourbon wasn't overpowering at all (as a side note-- I'm not a bourbon drinker in any way!).  I appreciated the simplicity of the basting sauce, the healthy Omega-3 fats from the salmon, and the summer color and flavors of fresh corn and tomatoes.  As for my husband, he kept thanking me for the dinner I made for us.  He said it made him feel good.  I know what he means.  It's a guilt-free kind of meal that leaves your appetite feeling satisfied and not overstuffed!

For the next two weeks, I will be working a "day shift" at my job-- I'm so excited!  That means, I can be home before 6pm, rather than 9pm-- I  think my family is even more excited to have my home-cooked dinners.  I look forward to having more time to catch up on writing and editing recipes and photos to share with you!

(Printable recipe cards are at the bottom of this post.)