Pomegranate Glazed Salmon

This delicious little recipe comes from the new Cook's Illustrated magazine. Because I was cleaning, working and cooking 2 things at the same time, I happened to overlook a few things in the recipe - good news, wasn't ingredients. What I overlooked was that before baking in the oven, you quickly pan sear the salmon fillet to help the glaze stick to the fish while baking. Well, it stuck just fine anyway, but did cause me to alter the heat at which it cooked and the longevity in the oven.

If you've been a follower throughout the year, you've seen that I enjoy making glazes, sauces and creams. It was one of my goals in 2010, to start making my own and learning a wide array of them. I loved this recipe because it used such a healthy fruit, rich in antioxidants, and sweet in taste but combined it with balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard. The final product was a tasty twist on a regular baked salmon dish.

Grocery List:
for sauce
- 3 tbsp. Pomegranate juice
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

for salmon
- 1 tsp. of light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. of salt
- 1/4 tsp. of cornstarch
- 2 salmon fillets (I cut each in half to make a total of 4 small fillets)
- Olive oil

As I said, I slightly overlooked a step so I'm going to write this recipe the way I made it, only because my negligence didn't turn into a recipe flop, this time :-) Because I missed the pan-searing, I ended up heating my oven to 350, instead of the suggested 300. So go ahead and pre-heat the oven to 350.

We will prepare the salmon first so in a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, salt and cornstarch.




Next, I used a pastry brush to brush olive oil over the salmon, then I sprinkled the prepared rub over the salmon - doing this is two fold, it helps the salmon caramelize as it heats, along with providing a "grip" for the glaze so it doesn't slide off as it bakes in the oven.


In a small saucepan, prepare the glaze. Combine all ingredients for the glaze in the saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk together.


Bring to a boil to allow the sauce to thicken and become "syrupy". Once this consistency is reached, spoon it evenly over the salmon fillets.


Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until done. Served with a veggie medley quinoa!