On Sunday we had a whole pile of wild-caught salmon fillets, and no idea what to do with them, other than that they were going on the grill. Our favorite salmon treatment is a maple-glazed salmon. It is excellent, but I was out of real maple syrup, and I didn’t think Mrs. Butterworth’s was going to cut it. So I turned to Cooking Light for an answer to our salmon problem. There are literally hundreds of recipes in Cooking Light for salmon, I just knew that they would have one that spoke to me.
I originally passed this recipe up because of the bourbon. I am always hesitant to cook with alcohol- I’ve had so many bad recipes from using alcohol, that I tend to shy away from cooking with it. But this Grilled Orange-and-Bourbon Salmon stayed in my mind, and eventually I went back, saw that I had everything needed for it, and I decided this would be the one. I mixed together the marinade, eliminating the onion called for, as well as the chives. My chive plant is just starting to come back to life, and with an onion allergy, we needed to leave them out anyways. I did add about 2 teaspoons of dried dill to the mix as well.
The marinade smelled great. Almost drinkable, as a matter of fact. It’s been a while since I played in the liquor cabinet, and the smell of bourbon almost had me running for a Coke to splash it in. Almost… the salmon marinated for 90 minutes, Andy grilled it up in no time, and everyone was delighted with the salmon. It turned out great- I was surprised to find that the orange flavor really came through, as I expected the bourbon to dominate. The bourbon was definitely a presence, but I didn’t think it overwhelmed at all. I was pleased with the salmon, and we definitely have another salmon recipe to add to the repertoire.
Grilled Orange-and-Bourbon Salmon
From Cooking Light Magazine, 1999
Combine first 8 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag, and add salmon to bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 1/2 hours, turning bag occasionally.Prepare grill or broiler.
Remove salmon from bag, reserving marinade. Place salmon on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Cook 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, basting frequently with reserved marinade.