Hoisin Glazed Broiled Salmon

I’ll admit it, I don’t eat enough seafood. I like it, that’s not the problem, yet I somehow don’t think of fish or shellfish on a random Tuesday night when I’m hangry and want dinner in 30 minutes. I usually reach for ground meat or chicken breasts. Those aren’t bad options, but I’ve been feeling in a rut when it comes to my quick cook meals.  Knowing how good it is for me, I’ve been devoting some effort recently to incorporate more fish and shellfish into my daily routine. And that’s when I started making this hoisin glazed broiled salmon.

This isn’t any kind of authentic Asian cooking, although I love how the Asian flavors hold up to the rich flavor of salmon. I use store-bought hoisin all the time and while I’ve made it from scratch before, I don’t think it makes any difference at all in this recipe. This is all about fast and easy cooking that is delicious with the bonus of being super healthy.

You can make this dish with fresh or frozen salmon, just remember to thaw your salmon in the fridge. And if you are using skin-on salmon, marinate it skin side up, but cook it with the skin side down.

Ingredients

3 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp honey
1 or 2 large garlic cloves, minced, smashed, or run through a garlic press
red chili flakes, to taste (optional)
4 salmon fillets
Pam or vegetable oil for greasing your broiler pan or cookie sheet (I like to cover the pan with foil for easier cleanup)

Mix the hoisin, soy, lime juice, honey, garlic, and red pepper flake (if using) together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust. Depending on the size of your limes, you may want more lime juice. If you want it sweeter, add more honey, need more salt, up the soy, or even sprinkle in salt and pepper if you desire.

Coat the salmon pieces and let it marinate in the fridge. I’ve gone as little as 10 minutes (while I prepped veggies or salad) or as long as an hour. I wouldn’t go longer than an hour though, or the acid might start to “cook” the salmon.

Set your oven rack so it’s 6-7 inches from the broiler, then turn it onto high. Lightly spray/grease your broiling pan then arrange the salmon skin side down. Add extra marinade to the top of each fillet, then broil until desired doneness. This can take 5-15 minutes, depending on the heat of your broiler, the size of the filets, and how well you like your salmon cooked. My broiler is pretty powerful and I consider medium rare my desired doneness and my salmon in the photo took around 8 minutes.

I like to serve it alongside lo-mein noodles tossed with sautéed veggies and a dollop of hoisin, but slaw, salad, or rice would work just as well.

Enjoy!