EatingWell
Tribune Media Services
It doesn’t get much easier — or more delicious — than this speedy recipe for roast salmon topped with a smoky maple-mustard sauce. The sweetness of the maple balances the tangy mustard; smoked paprika or ground chipotle adds another layer of flavor. Ask at the fish counter to have the salmon cut into four 4-ounce fillets with the skin removed.
Wild-caught salmon from the Pacific (preferably Alaskan) is considered the best choice for the environment because it is more sustainably fished and has a larger, more stable population. Farmed salmon, including Atlantic, should be avoided, as it endangers the wild-salmon population. For more information, visit Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch at seafoodwatch.org.
Smoked paprika is made from smoke-dried red peppers and adds an earthy, smoky flavor. Look for different types of paprika at some large supermarkets or at tienda.com or penzeys.com. Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeno peppers. Ground chipotle chile pepper can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.
Serve with roasted green beans and whole-wheat couscous tossed with pecans and chives.
Smoky Maple-Mustard Salmon
Serves 4
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons whole-grain or Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika or ground chipotle pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 4-ounce skinless center-cut wild-caught salmon fillets
Recipe Steps:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Combine mustard, maple syrup, paprika or chipotle, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the mustard mixture evenly on the salmon. Roast until just cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes.
Recipe nutrition per serving: 148 calories; 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 2 grams monounsaturated); 53 milligrams cholesterol; 4 grams carbohydrate; 3 grams added sugars; 23 grams protein; 0 grams fiber; 276 milligrams sodium; and 434 milligrams potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Omega-3s.
Exchanges: 3 lean meat.
EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.