Description
This Maple BBQ Sauce Salmon recipe offers a delightful combination of sweet and smoky flavors, perfectly complimented by tender roasted salmon and a nutty brown butter couscous. The dish is easy to prepare and makes for an elegant, comforting meal.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Salmon
- 2 pounds salmon filets
- 1 tablespoon brown (or maple) sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for finishing)
- Chopped chives for garnish (optional)
For the Brown Butter Couscous
- 1 cup uncooked pearl couscous
- 1 ¼ cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Salmon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the salmon filets on a baking sheet ready for seasoning.
- Season and Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and cumin. Sprinkle this spice mix evenly over the salmon. Drizzle each filet with maple syrup and use a spoon to spread the syrup across the surface of each filet.
- Roast Salmon: Roast the salmon in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until it flakes easily with a fork. Optionally, brush a little more maple syrup over the salmon as soon as it comes out of the oven. Garnish with chopped chives if desired and serve immediately with the couscous.
- Toast Couscous: Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Stir in the uncooked pearl couscous to coat in the butter, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly toasted and fragrant while stirring frequently.
- Cook Couscous: Add the chicken or vegetable stock along with a pinch of salt to the toasted couscous. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender.
- Make Garlic Brown Butter: While the couscous cooks, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and whisk often until you see brown bits forming on the bottom of the pan, indicating browned butter. Remove from heat and stir in the minced garlic to infuse the flavor.
- Combine and Serve: Once the couscous has finished cooking, drizzle the garlic brown butter over it. Toss gently to combine and serve alongside the roasted maple BBQ salmon.
Notes
- Use either brown sugar or maple sugar depending on preference and availability.
- Adjust maple syrup quantity to balance sweetness according to taste.
- Substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock for a vegetarian option (use tofu or another protein instead of salmon for full vegetarian).
- Fresh chives add a nice color contrast and mild onion flavor to the dish.
- Ensure not to overcook the salmon to keep it moist and tender.
- Brown butter must be watched closely to avoid burning; remove from heat as soon as it turns golden with nutty aroma.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roasting and stovetop cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salmon filet with couscous (about 8 oz salmon and 3/4 cup couscous)
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
Keywords: maple BBQ salmon, brown butter couscous, roasted salmon recipe, sweet and smoky salmon, easy salmon dinner
