Karl’s Mandarin Marmalade Glazed Salmon with Leeks

My son-in-law, Chris, requested fish for his Sunday birthday dinner. I have been making a lot of different kinds of marmalade recently and I have been looking for uses for them—besides just spreading them on toast. I have made salmon with lemon and dill, so I though adding a sweet glaze would be just the thing. To go with my salmon, I served Heart of Palm, Mandarin Orange, and Arugula Salad and Colcannon California.

Karl’s Mandarin Marmalade Glazed Salmon with Leeks

Ingredients

3 lbs. salmon fillet
½ tsp. Kosher salt

Marinade

1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp. dill, dried or fresh minced

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1-2 leeks, coarsely chopped
¼ tsp. black pepper

Glaze

2 Tbs. Karl’s Micro Mandarin Marmalade (OR orange marmalade)
2 Tbs. warm water or dry white wine
1 Tbs. dill, dried or fresh minced

Directions

1. Scale, de-bone, rinse, and pat the fillet  dry with paper towels.

Tip: I always use skin on salmon fillet s.

2. Sprinkle the salt over both sides of the fillet .

3. Mix the lemon juice and dill and pour it over the fillet  in a lipped baking tray.

Tip: It will be very difficult to transfer a three pound salmon fillet to a serving platter without it falling apart into an unattractive mess. The easiest solution is to use an attractive baking pan and serve the salmon without trying to transfer it. A second method is to line the tray with aluminum foil and then slide the fillet—foil and all—onto the serving platter. You may then roll up the edges of the foil attractively or trim the edges away.

4. Dip both sides of the salmon in the marinade and leave the fillet  skin side up.

5. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate/marinate the salmon for 30 minutes.

6. Melt the butter in a medium pan and sauté the leeks for 2 minutes.

Note: I could have just put the raw leeks under the salmon, but I was afraid that they would not cook completely during the short time that the salmon was in the oven. This step is not to cook them completely, but to give them a bit of a head start.

7. Season the leaks with the pepper and let them cool.

8. Move the salmon to the side and spread the leeks over the baking tray.

9. Turn the salmon flesh side up and place it over the leeks.

Tip: Push any stray leeks under the salmon, so that they do not over cook.

10. Bake the fillet onto the middle rack of a pre-heated 500º F oven for 10-15 minutes.

Tip: You want the salmon mostly cooked through, but not completely done at the end of the baking time. Inserted a knife into the thickest part of the fillet  and pull the flakes apart. The flesh in the center should still look a bit raw.

Note: How long the first bake will take depends on how thick your fillet  is. Mine was about an inch thick at the thickest point and took a full 15 minutes.

11. While the Salmon is baking, mix the glaze in a small bowl.

Tip: Warming the liquid make it easier to brush the marmalade over the fillet.108. Brush the glaze over the top of the fillet  and turn the oven to broil.

12. Broil the fillet  until the glaze has started to brown, about another 5-10 minutes.

13. Let the salmon rest for five minutes and serve.

Tip: If you used fresh dill you may garnish with a frond or two of dill.