ginger salmon

I've shied away from making salmon in the past because of the price. At over $8/lb., it's twice as expensive as ground beef and almost three times as expensive as chicken or pork. After being out of town all week and having to eat at restaurants, I realized just how much of a steal it still is. Sure, you might not eat this every night of the week but on a special occasion? Definitely.

Not to mention, this is one of the EASIEST recipes ever. Mix up a little brown sugar and ginger glaze, slather it on the fish and then pop it in the oven. 20-20 minutes later you've got a delicious, tender salmon steak with a delightfully sweet, crunchy ginger topping. Yessir.

The salmon that I bought was just over 3/4 lb. which would mean 3 servings of 3 oz. each. When I looked at the salmon (see photos below), cutting it into three seemed like the portions would be really small and I almost just cut it into two. Well, I went with three and, let me tell you, the servings ended up being more than enough. So, cut the portions a little smaller than your eyes are telling you. Also, this recipe is extremely easy to double... if you should need more.

Alright, lets do this thing.





Total Recipe cost: $7.65
Servings Per Recipe: 3
Cost per serving: $2.55
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 25 min. Total: 35 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
3/4 lb.	fresh salmon	$7.39
1 inch	fresh ginger	$0.10
1 clove	garlic	$0.07
2 Tbsp	brown sugar	$0.04
1/2 tsp	soy sauce	$0.02
1/8 tsp	toasted sesame oil	$0.03
TOTAL		$7.65

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and grate about 1 inch of ginger. Mince the clove of garlic. Combine both in a bowl with the brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir it up until the sugar dissolves and you have a thick, sticky mixture.

STEP 2: Cut the salmon into three ounce portions (doesn't have to be exact). Prepare a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. If your salmon still has the skin attached, you do not need to spray the foil with non-stick spray. If there is no skin, give it some non-stick spray so that half of the salmon doesn't get stuck to the foil.

STEP 3: Slater the salmon with the brown sugar and ginger mixture, trying to keep as much on top as possible. Bake the salmon for 20-25 minutes or until the sugar mixture on top is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Step By Step Photos

Start by peeling and grating your ginger. I just use a vegetable peeler and a small cheese grater. Also mince the garlic.


Combine the ginger and garlic in a bowl with the brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil.


Stir until it forms a thick glaze. You want it to be fairly thick so that it will stay on top of the fish (for the most part).


This is the salmon that I bought. If you buy from the seafood counter, they can cut you a piece exactly the size that you want.


Cut the salmon into equal portions about 3 ounces each. One side will be considerably thinner than the other so take that into consideration when cutting.


Place the salmon on a baking sheet covered with foil. If the salmon has skin on, you won't need non-stick spray, just put the skin side down. Slather the glaze on top of the salmon. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.


Bake until the brown sugar topping is golden brown. It will end up as a nice, gingery, slightly crunchy crust.


And see, the skin stuck to the foil which allowed the salmon flesh to lift off in one piece without breaking! Nice!


This was almost too delicious for how little effort it took.


I definitely see more salmon in my future.