Orange Marmalade Salmon

Go ahead, say this one out loud: “Grilled Salmon with Marmalade Dijon Glaze.” If you like salmon at all—and it’s one of the most popular kinds of seafood in the country—that’s a phrase that should make your mouth water.

Bright citrus flavors are a slam-dunk paired with salmon, because they provide a happy contrast with its richness. Using marmalade as your citrus ingredient is perfect for grilling, because the sugary spread caramelizes in the grill’s heat and takes the flavors to a whole other level.

Ingredients for Orange Marmalade Salmon

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• Orange marmalade: Marmalade gives the salmon a bright, citrusy flavor, and the sugar in the marmalade caramelizes nicely as the salmon cooks.
• Dijon mustard: The mustard in the glaze provides tart and pungent flavors to balance the marmalade’s sweetness, and the salmon’s richness.
• Garlic powder and ground ginger: The savory flavors of the seasonings complement the sweet, fruity and spicy notes of the other ingredients in the glaze.
• Salmon: Salmon is rich enough and firm enough to stand up to grilling, and its assertive but mild flavor holds its own against the glaze.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the glaze

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the marmalade, mustard and seasonings. Reserve 1/4 cup of the glaze, and brush the rest generously over the salmon portions.

Editor’s Tip: For the best flavor, use a high-quality marmalade with plenty of fruit.

Step 2: Transfer the salmon to your grill

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

Moisten a clean paper towel with a tablespoon or two of cooking oil. Using a pair of long-handled tongs, use the towel to oil the preheated grate of your grill. Place the salmon on the grill, skin-side down.

Editor’s Tip: Always clean your grill’s grate before grilling fish, then let it heat thoroughly before you apply the oil. Otherwise the fish may stick and break when you try to remove it.

Step 3: Grill the salmon

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

Close the grill’s cover. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining glaze, until the glaze is lightly caramelized and the edges of the salmon can be flaked with a fork.

Editor’s Tip: The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145°F. The USDA’s recommendations are conservative by design; for context, it also advises against soft-cooked eggs and medium-rare steaks. Unless you’re immune-compromised or have other risk factors, you can safely aim for a final temperature of 125°.

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

Orange Marmalade Salmon Variations

• Roast or broil the salmon: If it’s not grilling weather, or if your grill is busy with other things, you can roast or broil the salmon instead. Place the glazed salmon portions on a parchment-lined sheet pan (for roasting) or your oven’s broiler pan (for broiling). Broil on your oven’s lower setting, if it has one, or roast at 425°. Inch-thick portions should still take about 10 minutes to cook. If you’re broiling, keep a close eye on the glaze to ensure it doesn’t burn.
• Switch up the marmalade: While orange marmalade is the most common, you’ll also see marmalade featuring lemons, limes, grapefruit and other citrus fruits. You may even see marmalade made with quinces, which—fun fact—is the original version. Each of these brings a slightly different flavor profile to the salmon, but they’re all good.
• Try a savory jelly: Many stores and online retailers sell a selection of savory jellies, made with herbs, hot or sweet peppers, or other vegetables. While their flavors are savory they still require a certain sugar content in order to gel, so they’ll all work in this recipe as an alternative to marmalade. Salmon plays nicely with most flavorings, so the door is wide open for experimentation (though for many of these, you may want to omit the powdered ginger from the seasonings).

Can orange marmalade salmon be made ahead of time?

Not in any meaningful way. Like any other fish, salmon is best when it’s freshest, so whenever possible you should cook and serve it the same day. You can prepare the glaze several days ahead of time and store it in your refrigerator in a sealed container.

How should I store orange marmalade salmon?

If you have leftovers, seal them in an airtight container and put them in the fridge immediately. Fish is highly perishable, so it’s best to do this as soon after cooking as possible.

How long will orange marmalade salmon keep?

Assuming the salmon was perfectly fresh when you bought it, cooked on the same day and refrigerated promptly, it may last for up to four days in your refrigerator. If any of those things is uncertain, it’s best to eat it within two days.

Orange Marmalade Salmon Tips

Do I need to buy skin-on salmon?

You should always try to get your salmon portions with the skin on for grilling, even if you don’t like to eat it. The skin helps your salmon hold together on the grill and, more important, when you remove your salmon from the grill. Ask your fishmonger to make sure the skin is scaled, because otherwise the scales will stick to your brush when you apply the glaze and end up in your mouth. Even if you don’t routinely eat fish skin, it’s worth trying in this recipe; the grilling leaves it gloriously crisp and caramelized (and it’s full of healthy Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids).

Should I be worried about bones?

There’s always a slight risk of bones or bone fragments, even when the portions are carefully deboned. You may sometimes see fragments of rib bone on the thinner belly meat; those are easy to remove with the tip of a sharp knife or even your fingers. You may also find short “pin bones” in the thickest part of the filet, just above the line where the upper and lower muscles meet. You can feel them by pressing your fingertips to this part of the portion. If you feel any bones, you can pull them out with fish tweezers or a well-scrubbed pair of needle-nosed pliers; or use a sharp knife to trim out a narrow slice that includes the bones.

How can I make sure my salmon cooks evenly?

Salmon portions are thickest in the middle and taper to a relatively thin length of belly meat. The thin part cooks more quickly than the rest, and it’s prone to breaking when you remove your salmon from the grill. For even cooking, fold the thin belly layer underneath when you put your portions on the grill (or roasting pan or skillet). The doubled section is closer in thickness to the rest of the filet, so your whole portion should cook evenly.

What should I serve with my orange marmalade salmon?

Most of your grilling-season favorites are good choices, but you can’t go wrong with plain rice and a simple salad either. If you’re looking for ideas or inspiration, we can suggest dozens of appropriate side dishes for salmon.

This glaze is good—can I use it on other things?

You bet! It works best on foods that are a bit rich, so think in terms of chicken wings, pork chops or maybe even ribs.