Barbeque Basalmic Salmon (in the oven)

Happy 2025! I hope the new year will bring you all joy.  Speaking of joy – it’s time to enjoy some favorite new recipes in this new year that I know you will love.  This one for salmon was intended as the grilled dish we have made many times, but at 25 degrees outside I wasn’t sure I could even get the grill warm enough to cook anything. The oven seemed like a fine second choice but as (good) luck would have it, we enjoyed this version even more than the original and I think you will too. This recipe takes no time at all. First mix together a simple marinade. Balsamic vinegar is the star – it provides a sweet and sour punch. The brown sugar is the extra sweetness, and the soy sauce adds a salty touch. The garlic is garlic and it’s yummy. The fish only needs only about half an hour to marinate. The leftover marinade should be reduced as a finishing sauce.

The oven does the work in 15 minutes with one quick baste. Since the fish does not have that nice brown exterior that it gets from a grill a short broil solves the problem. This dinner was the easiest clean up ever! The fish cooked on aluminum foil.

On another foil lined sheet pan I cooked broccolini and wedges of sweet potato with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. This meant that after dinner I threw out the foil, put the plates in the dishwasher and settled in for a well-deserved glass of wine (and maybe a leftover Christmas chocolate). A successful recipe was ready to share. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb salmon filets (adjust to the amount you want)

Marinade

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 clove garlic minced

2 Tbsp soy sauce

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions

Combine ingredients for the marinade in a large resealable plastic bag and add salmon.

Marinate for 30 minutes or up to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. (Two pans if you want to also cook sweet potatoes and broccolini.)

Remove salmon from marinade and place on prepared baking sheet adding a pinch of salt and pepper if desired.

Bake for seven minutes and then brush the salmon with marinade.

While this bakes for seven more minutes reduce remaining marinade in a small saucepan over low heat to thicken.

Test the salmon for doneness (flake off a small bit) and when it is perfect broil for a minute to brown the top.

Serve with the sauce on the side.

*Note- to also cook sweet potatoes and broccolini – add wedges of potato tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to the oven 20 minutes before the salmon. 

*Toss the broccolini with olive oil, salt and pepper and add it to the pan with the potatoes when you put the salmon in the oven.