Maple-Barbecue Salmon (Oven or Grill)

An EASY and quick way to bake or grill Maple-Barbecue Salmon (Oven or Grill). Each mouthwatering bite is juicy and seasoned just right. The Salmon literally melts in your mouth. It is the perfect combination of a little sweet and spice plus it’s ready in just 20 minutes!

This Maple-Barbecue Salmon (Oven or Grill) is a recipe that you will want to make over and over again! I’ve added two methods to refer back to for your convenience, either using the oven or a grill. Be sure to read the instructions beginning. It’s a quick and easy recipe that makes the flakiest and tender salmon. It really does melt in your mouth!!!

INGREDIENTS

• Brown-sugar bourbon seasoning
• Salmon fillets
• Pure maple syrup
• Barbecue sauce
• Cooking spray

IF YOU CAN’T FIND THIS SEASONING….make your own

• In a small bowl mix, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp paprika, a little fresh ground pepper, and a pinch of salt. Use in place of the brown-sugar bourbon seasoning.
• Or just salt and pepper before brushing on the maple-barbecue sauce.

SALMON

This is such a quick and easy way to make salmon. It’s important to follow the recipe and to not overcook the salmon. For this recipe, I used farm raised salmon because it is usually thicker and is less tricky to make. You can use wild caught salmon for this recipe but the cooking time might be faster.

• Let’s talk farm-raised vs wild caught. The most common type of salmon sold in America is the farm-raised Atlantic salmon (pictured below). Farm-raised salmon has a mild flavor, is a soft pink-orange hue, and fatty. It is generally easier to cook with than wild salmon because of it’s higher fat content. Wild caught salmons that you might find seasonally are King (Chinook), Keta, Coho, Pink, and Sockeye. Usually they are found fresh only from May through August. Wild caught salmon are more savory and a vibrant red-orange color. They tend to be leaner with a lower fat content which makes them a little trickier to cook with.

• Cooking farm-raised salmon. Because of the higher fat content of farm-raised salmon, it is a great option for all kinds of cooking and baking recipes. Pan, oven, poached, or grilled works great and you can easily cook it to your preferred doneness. Personally I prefer medium-rare or semi-translucent. Here’s a helpful way to check doneness: Rare– flakes separate easily but the meat remains translucent. Medium– flakes separate and the meat is opaque. Well done– flakes will break.

• Cooking wild-caught salmon. Proceed with caution when cooking wild caught salmon, it is trickier to cook than farm-raised salmon. It has a lower fat content which makes it leaner, so adjust cooking and baking times accordingly for wild salmon. I highly recommend not cooking over medium-rare.

• Skin on or skin off. It depends on the method you are using to cook the fish. The skin provides a protective layer that helps the fish from drying out and it is edible, preferably when crisped. The best methods for cooking with the skin on is when grilling, searing, baking, or frying. It is better skin off when boiling, steaming, or smoking.

HOW TO MAKE MAPLE-BARBECUE SALMON

OVEN METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
• Coat the cooking spray or lightly with olive oil.
• Sprinkle with seasoning.
• In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup and bbq sauce; divide in half.
• Brush half of the sauce over each piece of the salmon.
• Bake for 12 minutes.
• Turn oven to broil for 1-2 minutes.
• Remove from oven and brush with remaining bbq sauce over the tops and sides of salmon.

GRILL METHOD:

• Preheat grill or grill pan on medium.
• Sprinkle the seasoning over the salmon and coat with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine maple syrup and bbq sauce; divide in half.
• Grill salmon 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally, and until 145°F.
• Brush with one-half of sauce during the last minute of grill time.
• Serve with remaining one-half of sauce brushed over each piece.