Baked salmon

BAKED SALMON WITH SMOKED MAPLE BUTTER GLAZE.

Making this is a lot easier than it sounds.  Really it is!  Lots of people go to fancy restaurants and get all excited about the food they are ordering (and so they should because us chefs are highly skilled people who are paid to think this stuff up.) You might think that making decadent food is not within  your capabilities, and a lot of the time it couldn't be further from the truth.  I believe in simple foods being put together to make an outstanding dish. If you can use local foods so much the better and give yourself a pat on the back.

I simply baked the salmon pieces in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes after I had sprinkled the fillets with a little salt, freshly ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. (Are you digging the simplicity of this yet?)  Then I melted about half a cup of butter and stirred in a table spoon of real maple syrup, a couple of drops of hickory liquid smoke and another squeeze of lemon juice.  Just let that bubble in the skillet for a couple of minutes and it's done.  

When you get the fish out of the oven just brush them with the maple glaze and viola!  That's it! You're done.  Didn't I tell you it was easy?  I served it with pureed cauliflower seasoned with nutmeg, salt and pepper. The fresh green beans balanced the colours up nicely.  Add a side salad and you have yourself a light nutritious lunch.  Of course you could add potato or rice with this if you just can't face a meal without a carbohydrate.  Today I went really decadent and added lobster tails with garlic butter to the meal.  I couldn't help it, it just had to be done.