Jason's Sweet & Spicy Caramelized Salmon

As if in-season, bright, beautiful wild salmon isn't delectable enough, adding maple syrup and a bit of spice makes it taste like candy!  (Better in my opinion :)  This recipe is great because the sugar crystallizes while baking giving it a great crunchy texture without overcooking.

1# wild salmon

1/4 cup 100% pure Grade B maple syrup

1/4 cup liquid aminos

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes

1)  In a 9x9 glass or ceramic baking pan, combine all ingredients and lay salmon fillets, flesh-down in the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours maximum.  (Any longer and the acids begin to break down the flesh). 

2)  Preheat oven to 350F and transfer fish to a clean baking dish or sheet, flesh-side up.  Bake 10 minutes for every 1" thickness of fish.  Fish is ready when it 'bounces back' when pressed with finger or begins to flake.

3)  Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, reduce left-over salmon marinade to a thick sauce.  (Make sure sauce comes to a boil for at least 30 seconds for food-safe sauce - if you are at all immunocompromised, skip this step).
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Time-Saver Tool Tips
-Use a microplane to quickly grate garlic
-Measure out the aminos before the maple syrup in the same 1/4 cup.  The maple syrup slide right out!
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Ingredient Insight
-Bragg's Liquid Aminos are a GMO-free alternative to traditional soy sauce, however is still derived from soy
-If you avoid soy, you can use Coconut Aminos
-For a smoky, "just-off-the-grill" flavor, add 1 tsp smoked paprika or 1/4 tsp liquid smoke                                                 concentrate to the marinade.

Make extra salmon and enjoy cold atop a salad the next day!  (Shown here with jicama, bean sprouts, multi-colored carrots, cherry tomatoes and spinach).