I made this salmon in a cranberry glaze a while ago and haven’t made it in a long time because my husband doesn’t like sweet sauces on meat, so I don’t remember my inspiration for this, but it was pretty delicious!
It was quite quite easy to make, but the sauce does take a while – at least it did for me. It also depends on how thick you want the glaze to be. It can be more of a sauce, which takes less time and supervision at the stove, or more of a glaze, which needs more time and care.
Ingredients
- salmon (in whatever quantity your dinner requires)
- 1 orange
- 1 12-oz package of frozen cranberries (fresh is good too)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar (you can also substitute agave nectar)
Instructions
First of all, you need to thaw your cranberries if they are frozen and the salmon. I am not very good at thawing because I usually decide too close to dinner, but I have never had any problems throwing a mostly frozen salmon into the oven and have it come out the same as if it was thawed. The cranberries, however – you want them to be soft enough that you can cut them without hurting yourself. Those things like to slip out of your fingers when the pressure of a knife is applied. If you are not that brave (or would simply prefer it), you can throw the cranberries into a food processor or blender. I like the actual pieces of cranberries, so I either cut them in halves or quarters for the glaze or leave them whole for a sauce.
Once your cranberries are ready, place them in a medium saucepan, add water and sugar, stir, and apply medium-high heat. I also like to take the orange and squeeze out its juice into this mixture, but you can skip this if you want a strictly cranberry flavor. I would still recommend zesting the orange though and adding about half of it into the mixture. You can also mince the orange peels and add them in, but I am usually happy with the zest.
While the cranberry mixture is coming up to a boil, place the salmon in the oven after it is preheated to 400 degrees, or whichever way you prefer to cook you salmon. I usually structure my cooking activities such that I do other things while waiting for something and don’t have much idle time, so probably by the time you are done taking care of the salmon, the boiling cranberry mixture will be calling you. Stir it again and reduce to a simmer. Keep simmering and stirring occasionally until it reaches the desired consistency, keeping in mind that it will also thicken when it cools. I usually finish with it at the same time as the salmon is done, but you can simmer it longer for the thicker, more caramelized glaze.
When everything is done, add a side (I like rice with salmon), optional garnish (on the above picture I have spinach), lightly pour the glaze on the salmon (and the side, if you want), and sprinkle the remaining orange zest on top.
