Glazed Salmon, Basmati and Broccolini

In yet another stunning narrative of my life thus far, not a week after I finally got around to getting a subscription to that bastion of American food magazines, Gourmet, did I get an email notifying me of its imminent demise. By demise I mean that they’re no longer printing it, in case you did not know. I cried every day until my two and only issues arrived, and then I went shopping. You might think this would be a segue into a recipe from Gourmet, but as it has substituted the remaining issues in my subscription over to Bon Appétit (which I subscribed to anyway the same time as Gourmet), I felt it was appropriate to start with Bon Appétit as well.

Fish is not a frequent visitor to this household, as I am not a seafood fan. I’m sorry, but I prefer my food to not have an exoskeleton, which removes me from many things I’m told are delicious. My husband loves escargot and no matter how much garlic and butter are involved I just cannot get beyond the fact that it’s a snail. This is why I can never, no matter how much I may want to, be on Survivor.

I do, however, make exceptions to that rule, and salmon is one of them. There may be a world of difference between a gently steamed or seared salmon fillet and salmon patties from the canned article, but they both taste good to me. So as I was flipping through my four new recipe-laden magazines, I spotted this one in October’s issue of Bon Appétit and decided to go for it.

Lime-and Honey-Glazed Salmon with Basmati and Broccolini
from Bon Appétit, October 2009
serves 4, 35 minutes prep, 55 total

You will need:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. finely grated lime peel
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
4 tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup sliced shallots (about 3 large)
1 1/2 cups basmati rice*
3 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth**
4 5 to 6 oz skinless salmon fillets***
1 bunch broccolini****, bottom inch trimmed and stalks separated if necessary

Crank your oven up to 450F, and whisk together your first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. 1/4 cup of lime juice was about two and a half smallish limes, and the zest, conveniently, was 3 limes exactly. For the fine grate, I just used my Microplane and called it good enough. Once you’ve got everything combined, set aside for now.

In a large, oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Throw in your shallots and sauté until just beginning to soften and brown. My pan was too hot and it took about 2 minutes for me total, but the recipe says about 5 minutes. Shallots are a bit more delicate than onions so you’ll want to stir frequently to prevent burning. Add the rice and the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover skillet tightly with the lid, and into the oven it goes for about 10 minutes. The rice should be done by then, but if it’s not and it’s too dry, add more chicken broth in 1/4 cup increments.

(as a note, I use a Tramontina green behemoth from Wal-mart, and the lid does not fit as tightly as I would like, so I covered the pot with a sheet of aluminum foil before putting the lid on for a tighter seal. )

Remove from the oven and add salt to the rice, to taste. Sprinkle salmon fillets with salt and pepper and arrange on rice, pressing lightly. Add the broccolini, tucking around the fish and anchoring the stems in the rice. Add 1 Tbsp. of glaze to each fillet, cover tightly again and return to oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until the salmon is just opaque in the center and the broccolini is crisp-tender. Drizzle remaining glaze over the fish and rice, top with additional cilantro and serve.

Notes:

As I was expecting something altogether more highfalutin, it came as a surprise to me to learn that this was a one-skillet meal. I love one-skillet meals because I generally destroy my kitchen if I make anything more complicated than spaghetti. Also, this is extremely easy, so don’t be intimidated by the source.  If cost is a concern (and these days, who isn’t concerned?) you could easily go with smaller portions. Since my toddler’s idea of fine dining is Easy Mac, I opted to get 2 6oz fillets instead, and since I had everything but the broccolini and the fish on hand, this recipe cost us about $12 for two people.

* – Tilda produces some really lovely basmati. It is not the cheapest option but it’s not unreasonable. Look for the shiny metallic blue bag.

** – If you have a WinCo grocery store in your area, quarts of Pacific free-range organic chicken broth are a whopping $1.89! That is insanely cheap compared to other stores in the area.

*** – The skinless salmon fillets I purchased were $4.99 each, regardless of weight. If you are more adept than I in the kitchen, I see zero reason why you couldn’t get skin-on and just remove the skin, if that price is less prohibitive.

**** – For SLCers, Harmon’s carries broccolini. If your local stores don’t carry it, the flavors are of a mild, asparagus-broccoli bent, so I am certain that broccoli or asparagus would work just fine here.

(one more brief note, I am providing links with the intent of being helpful, there’s no profit in it for me. but seriously, get a microplane, they’re amazing.)