Mustard-Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon with Lemon Rice Pilaf and Paying It Forward

Mustard-Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon with Lemon Rice Pilaf

This dish will separate itself from the others I've posted here because I'm trying to save my sanity, not display my dementia. Mrs. Stuntman grew up in the Philippines eating steamed white rice at every meal. Don't get me wrong. I like rice, but the rice she normally prepares is very bland.

Come to think of it, I could have probably used this dish this past Sunday during the retro recipe examples because whenever I went out to restaurants as a kid, I always ordered rice pilaf as a side dish, if given the choice.

The Challenge

Add flavor to a side dish

The Source

The salmon was adapted from page 278 of America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Third Edition: Cookware Rating Edition. For the rice, I used a Chef Ming Tsai recipe I found on foodnetwork.com.

Ingredients

For the rice:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups long-grain white rice
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

For the salmon:
4 6-ounce salmon fillets, 1 1/4-inch thick
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons coarse-grain mustard
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 500° Fahrenheit. Prepare the glaze by whisking together the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, garlic and oil. Season the glaze with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

2. Prepare the rice: Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion, ginger, and lemon zest and sweat until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring until the rice is opaque, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine and reduce by 80 percent. Add the chicken stock, cover and simmer over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes.

3. While the rice simmers, cook the salmon: Remove any pin bones from the salmon. Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel and season them with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the fillets about 1-inch apart on a lightly-oiled aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Baste the glaze over the tops and sides of the salmon. Return to the oven and bake until the fish turns from translucent to opaque, about 5 minutes. Brush the glaze again and serve on a bed of the rice and garnish with parsley.

Successful?

I recommend seasoning the rice with salt and pepper to taste before plating, but the rice is definitely more flavorful. The salmon was well-balanced in flavor.

In other news, one of my food blogger friends, Jenni of Pastry Chef Online is hosting a linky party this month spotlighting other blogs we enjoy. I do have a blogroll, but I haven't updated it in a while so I wanted to add to it.

I've noted Willow of Will Cook for Friends a number of times here and admire her ambition for learning about food, but had not added her to my list of favorites so I wanted to correct that oversight.

I met Stefanie of Sarcastic Cooking via foodbuzz when it was still around after she was featured with some degree of regularity. She prepares delicious food and I also lover her photography.

Sarah of Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends actually found me, but I have since come to appreciate her writing style.

Mijune of Follow Me Foodie is a food writer out of Vancouver, British Columbia. I enjoy her wit and humor.

Joanne of Fifteen Spatulas and I share the same philosophy on food: homemade, from scratch and with step-by-step pictures. I've also met her in person and can say that she is very easy to work with.

Check out the other Pay It Forward participants in addition to Jenni's list, which can be viewed on her website, here.