A sweet, gingery glaze accents salmon fillets and their sidekick, skin-on sliced acorn squash. The quick-to-make glaze is made by combining light brown sugar, orange juice, honey, and ground ginger in a small saucepan and bringing it to a simmer for about 8 minutes. Then it is set aside for a few minutes to thicken. Easy.
If the challenge of cutting up an acorn squash sounds too daunting. substitute 6 cups of peeled and diced butternut squash; most supermarkets stock it cut into peeled chunks. A mixture of butter and toasted pecans is spooned over the roasted squash, and the final step drizzles the glaze over the roasted salmon and squash.
Brown Sugar-Glazed Salmon and Squash
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 medium large acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided use
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided use
3/8 teaspoon ground ginger, divided use
4 salmon filets, 5- to 6-ounces each, about 1 1/2 inches thick at thickest portion (skin on or skin off – your choice)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add squash to pan in single layer. Brush squash on both sides with 2 teaspoons oil. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger; stir to combine and sprinkle over squash. Roast in preheated oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes (I found that I needed to turn on the broiler element to lightly brown the squash — just a minute or so, keep an eye on it.)
2. Meanwhile, remove salmon from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. For the glaze, combine brown sugar, juice, honey and remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes or so while you cook the salmon.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Combine pecans and melted butter and spoon over roasted squash. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Sprinkle salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large, ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add salmon skin side up and cook undisturbed until edges begin to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn fillets, and transfer skillet to oven. Roast at 400 degrees to desired level of doneness, about 5 minutes for medium. Divide squash and salmon among plates and spoon glaze over salmon and squash.
Source: “Food & Wine Essential Recipes” by Food and Wine Books
Cathy Thomas is an award-winning food writer and has authored three cookbooks: “50 Best Plants on the Planet,” “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce,” and “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce.” For more than 30 years, she has written about cooking, chefs, and food trends. She was the first newspaper food journalist to pioneer taping how-to culinary videos for the Web. CathyThomasCooks.com
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