I love salmon. My favourite way of eating salmon is raw, as in sashimi. Next it’s a close tie between lox and marinaded before grilling. A couple of days ago we went to the store and found these huge whole salmon fillets. They looked like the fish monger had just prepared them, the colour and texture was perfect! Immediately I knew that they were not only coming home with me, but how I was going to prepare them.
I don’t know why but when I am eating cooked salmon I like it to have a sweet, spicy and tart taste. Is that strange? A few years ago I shared this Mandarin Miso Salmon recipe that is one of our favourites, but now that we are in Mexico I wanted to make the recipe more Mexican. This chipotle, honey and Mexican sour orange version is what I came up with. The salmon was perfect and exactly what I wanted. It was spicy but not too much; You could taste the smokiness of the chipotles, a tad of tartness from the sour orange and a bit of sweetness from the honey. My husband loves mashed potatoes with his fish and I wanted to give them a little twist this time. I added ground turmeric powder not only for colour but for some additional health benefits. At first I was concerned that the turmeric might be too strong of a taste for the fish, but it really (somehow) complimented it and tasted great too. We both really enjoyed this meal and since the salmon was huge, we especially enjoyed the leftovers. I hope you give it a try!
- 700 gm or 1.5 lb filet of salmon (with skin still on)
- 4 small chipotle peppers from a can of ones in adobo sauce, adjust to taste*
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 small sour orange, juiced**
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- water
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even sized pieces
- water
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 tbsp salted butter, cut into several pieces
- pinch of fine sea salt
- whole fat milk
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric powder
- First prepare the marinade for the salmon: Blend the chipotle peppers, honey, sour orange juice, 1 tbsp olive oil and 3 tbsp of water, until completely blended and smooth. If needed add a bit more water to make sure you have enough marinade for the salmon size you are using. In the end I used about ⅛ cup or 30 ml of water. Pour the sauce over the salmon and allow to marinade while making the potato mash.
- Bring a pot of water with a large pinch of sea salt to boil. While you wait for the water to boil you can peel and chop the potatoes. Gently place the chopped potatoes into the boiling water. Allow to simmer until potato pieces are fork tender —in other words, until you can easily insert a fork into them. Drain, place back in the pot, add the butter pieces and a sprinkling of fine sea salt, cover and allow butter to melt. Once butter has melted give the potatoes a good stir, add a splash of milk and begin mashing into desired texture. (I like mine lumpy) As you are mashing add a bit more milk, little-by-little, to help you achieve the texture you desire. Taste and adjust sea salt if desired. Sprinkle in the ground turmeric and give the potatoes a good stir until turmeric has distributed throughout. Cover and set aside.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Once hot, lift the salmon out of the marinade and place into pan with the skin down. (Do not discard the marinade, set aside) Allow to cook until the salmon releases easily, it should take about 5-8 minutes or depending on the size of the salmon. Very gently, flip and cook through until the salmon releases from the pan easily, another 3-5 minutes. (Cooking time will depend on how big and thick the salmon is.) Be very careful as the salmon is quite fragile. Flip again and place on a serving dish or cutting board to allow to cool for a few minutes. If there is a lot of oil in the pan drain it, only leave a tinny bit. Add the marinade to the pan and bring to boil. Once it boils allow to simmer and reduce. Serve the salmon with a drizzle of the cooked marinade and turmeric mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
**If Mexican sour oranges are not available to you use a combination of fresh regular orange and lime juice or just grapefruit.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you give this scrumptious salmon recipe a try. Also I’d like to let you know that submissions to April’s YBR roundup are now open. You can add your recipe link and information here. Have a great day!
Such a flavorful salmon preparation and the turmeric mashed potatoes sound equally delicious.
That is one wonderful salmon dish! I can tell how nice all the flavors will mingle together. Yummy!
Salmon is hands down my fav fish. I love it smoked, grilled or baked just under cooked. I was just eyeing a filet at the store today. Definitely going back to get it and make this for our Sunday supper!
Nancy I love salmon and make it umpteen million ways it seems. This recipe sounds like a keeper and one my family would love. Thanks for sharing it.
Scrumptious! The kind of fish dish I find irresistible.
Cheers,
Rosa
I can imagine this salmon tasted really flavorful!
That plate of yours is to die for nancy! Wonderful post as always
Beautiful salmon dish! I also love to add hot chillies to fatty fish and turmeric is one of my favourite fish spices. My husband who is a huge salmon fan would love this version.
Now that’s the perfect salmon recipe, Nancy. We’re big salmon eaters here and I’m going to try this recipe. I’m with you on the sweet and spicy flavor with salmon. Awesome post!
Oh my, Nancy, this dish looks so delicious!!
I like the flavors and the combination of honey, orange and chipotle that must give a wonderful taste.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe.
Chantal
I love that you added turmeric to the mash!! What a fantastic idea. This meal looks divine. :)
I can’t wait to make this for my husband! I have a boatload of turmeric that I don’t know what to do with and these potatoes are perfect.
During wild salmon season we eat as much as possible so I’m always looking for new recipes. This one is definitely a keeper! Salmon really works well with sweet and spicy and I bet the chipotle is extra special. I’ve never use chipotle with salmon but it sounds wonderful. And those mashed potatoes look like a perfect complement! Great meal Nancy!