Lime-and Honey-Glazed Salmon with Basmati and Broccolini

Happy October!  Last month was a bit slow on the postings but I’m back with some fun stuff coming… so stay tuned!  And this photo clearly is not so gorge… it’s a stovetop masterpiece.

Every month I make it a point to log onto Epicurious to browse the latest issues of Gourmet and Bon Appetit to see what recipes strike my fancy.  I used to subscribe to both magazines but find e-mailing recipes to myself a lot more practical than clipping individual recipes.  Plus, since I use Gmail I can easily search through my e-mails to find that shrimp recipe I sent myself two years ago.

It was during my routine monthly check when I came across this recipe from the October issue of Bon Appetit.  I’m always on the hunt for salmon recipes since we often have a side of salmon from Costco in the freezer and the flavours of this dish really intrigued me.  A honey/lime sauce isn’t that cr-zazy but the idea of baking the fish on top of a rice pilaf surrounded by broccoli rabe/rapini/broccolini was kind of interesting.  Broccoli rabe has such a strong taste that verges on bitter and I wasn’t sure how all the flavours would combine.

Turns out the flavours work pretty well together.  The rice pilaf was really flavourful from the salmon/sauce and the broccoli rabe was perfectly cooked and the flavours kind of mellowed out.  Makes me wonder if there are other ways to bake broccoli rabe.

Another great thing about this dish… everything is cooked together!  It’s a really neat take on a one pot meal  No muss, no fuss! LOVES IT.

This one isn’t necessarily going into heavy rotation but it’s a good one to throw together when I have some leftover broccoli rabe in the fridge and some salmon in the freezer.

Lime-and Honey-Glazed Salmon with Basmati and Broccolini
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lime peel
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for sprinkling
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup sliced shallots (about 3 large)
1 1/2 cups basmati rice (9 to 10 ounces)
3 1/4 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
4 5-to 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
1 bunch broccolini, bottom inch trimmed, stalks separated if necessary

Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk lime juice, lime peel, honey, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and soy sauce in small bowl; set aside. Heat oil in large deep ovenproof skillet or casserole (with lid) over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until beginning to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, then 3 1/4 cups broth; bring to boil. Cover skillet tightly with lid; place in oven and bake 10 minutes (rice will be almost cooked through and most of broth will be absorbed; mix in more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry).

Remove skillet from oven. Sprinkle rice lightly with salt. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper and arrange on rice, pressing in lightly. Tuck broccolini in around fish, with stems anchored in rice. Spoon 1 tablespoon lime mixture over each salmon fillet. Cover skillet tightly and return to oven; bake until salmon is just opaque in center and broccolini is crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle remaining lime mixture over fish and rice; sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro and serve from skillet.

Bon Appétit
October 2009
by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen