Dylan and Dalton preparing a Hello Fresh meal kit
What is a salmon dish doing on my WFPB website?
We should be able to take any recipe and make it WFPB! Right?
My grandson’s, Dylan and Dalton, are both learning to cook via Hello Fresh meal kits. They would love this dish! So I am posting this recipe for my carnivorous family.
Green Chef is a vegan version of Hello Fresh. Although Hello Fresh has veggie options, they may not necessarily be vegan or WFPB. (Most condiments are non-compliant).
Baked salmon is much easier than grilled and easy is what I am going for. Everyone wants an entrée they can make in less than 20 minutes.
This recipe calls for a Teriyaki glaze which is also not WFPB so I include a recipe for a maple glaze that I make quite often.
For those who are WFPB
For the plant based options, you can substitute the fish for butternut squash steaks, cauliflower or eggplant slices. The technique and seasonings would be the same. See notes for the cooking differences.
Baked Salmon with Teriyaki glaze
This salmon bakes in under 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet. The glaze is brushed on half way through cooking time to avoid burning. See vegan alternatives in the notes.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Baking pan
Ingredients
- 4 5oz Salmon filets
- 1 TBSP Olive or coconut oil To avoid sticking
- 4 Green onions
- 2 Lemons or limes For garnish
- 1/2 Cup Teriyaki Glaze Or alternative maple glaze - see recipe
Maple Ginger Glaze
- 1/4 Cup Tamari or Shoyu
- 1 Tbsp Umeboshi plum vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Ginger purée
- 1/4 Cup Pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 Tsp Corn starch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Rinse salmon filets and remove any bones. Place salmon in ice water with a little salt added. (This freshens the fish). Set aside and allow to soak while oven heats.
- Trim and cut green onions on a 1/4" diagonal slice.
- Cut lemons into quarters.
- Spread oil on the baking pan. You can go oil free by lining the baking pan with wet cedar sheets. I am assuming the salmon will be baked skin side down and the skin will be discarded.
- Place salmon skin side down in the baking pan. Set timer for 5 minutes and place baking dish on center rack.
- If you are making your own glaze, make it now. Otherwise plan on using your teriyaki glaze.
- After 5 minutes, remove salmon from oven. Brush on glaze to completely cover each filet. Place back in oven. Set timer for 5 minutes.
- If there is any white on the sides of the filets, scrap the white juice from the sides and place in oven another 2 minutes. This thick white juice is fat rendering off of the fish. It is not very appetizing.
- Plate the fish and top with green onions. Garnish with lemon. A sprinkle of black sesame seeds can add a little contrast but is totally optional.
Maple Ginger Glaze
- In a small sauce pan, add corn starch to tamari and whisk to melt. Add maple syrup and vinegar. Turn on medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. Stir in ginger and garlic and remove from heat. Set aside until ready to use. May be refrigerated for several weeks.
Notes
This is a Snap Pea Sheep recipe.
Baked fish is the easiest cooking method next to steaming or poaching. Make it even easier by selecting frozen salmon filets that are uniform in size. Avoid farm raised fish and opt for the wild variety. Steelhead trout makes a delicious substitute.
I mentioned cedar wraps. You can use these to avoid using oil and they impart a nice smoky flavor to the fish. An alternative is to wrap the wet filets individually in parchment. However they would need to be removed when adding the glaze as we want the glaze to crystalize a bit.
The key it to keep the salmon moist until the glaze is applied. Keep a spray bottle of water nearby and will spray to dampen food as needed.
I promised you some vegan alternatives. This IS a WFPB site after all.
Eggplant: Cut eggplant into 1/4" rounds. Soak in water with about 1 tbsp salt per quart of water. I weigh the eggplant down with a plate and pickling weights but a ziploc bag of water works fine.
You will need to rinse off the excess salt, then place the very wet eggplant in your baking pan. Baking time will take 20 minutes at 400°F then another 10 minutes after the glaze is applied. You may need to spray several times during the first 20 minutes to keep the eggplant from drying out.
Cauliflower: Cut cauliflower into 1/4" steaks". Place the steaks in your baking pan. Baking time will take 20 minutes at 400°F then another 10 minutes after the glaze is applied. Spray with water several times during the first 20 minutes to keep the cauliflower moist.
Butternut squash: Bake the whole squash in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and slice to separate the bulb from the neck. Set bulb aside for another use.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes or until you can handle it. (Could be baked the day before). Peel and slice into 1/4" steaks". Place the steaks in your baking pan. Baking time will take 10 minutes at 400°F then another 10 minutes after the glaze is applied. You may need to spray several times during the first 10 minutes to keep the squash moist.
