One of my favorite ingredients of this year is hands down sesame oil. I feel as if I’ve waste so many stir fry meals in my past not knowing what I was missing. The flavor this little oil brings to the table is unbelievable. I’m excited for anyone out there reading this who doesn’t own sesame oil…go get it! Now for all of you who do buy it and use it regularly…I applaud you. I found this organic at Trader Joe’s.

Now for my salmon story. Ever since pregnancy, I’ve become extremely picky when it comes to seafood. I know salmon is extremely healthy, filled with with numerous vitamins and minerals and omega-three fatty acids good for…well just about every inch of your body, yet I don’t make it often. After I made this recipe, I decided that we needed to incorporate more salmon back into our lives. It is a no-brainer that any salmon lovers out there will love this recipe. If you are not a big fan of seafood, salmon in particular, I’d give this recipe a try. You simply cannot go wrong with this flavor profile of salty, sweet, sesame, goodness. Basting throughout the cooking will give more caramelization while in the oven. I cooked mine until I had a nice broiler-char on the top. This recipe would also be fantastic grilled!

Ingredients:
1 lb. wild caught salmon
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut aminos
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon juiced)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions:
1. In a shallow dish, mix the marinade together: sesame oil, maple syrup, coconut aminos, lemon juice. Mix until combined.
2. Place salmon in the shallow dish and top with marinade. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinade for 30 minutes minimum, up to 1 day.
3. Turn oven onto broil. Transfer fish to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and cook fish for 10-12 minutes. Baste with marinade every 3-4 minutes.
4. Top with sesame seeds and serve!

Notes:
-I prefer wild-caught salmon from the US. It is less subject to contamination, modification, and a whole slue of other additives and processing. You may come across some small bones when eating.

– This recipe would be fantastic grilled. Just be sure to place your salmon on a grill tray or make one from aluminum foil to keep the delicate fish intact while cooking.

-Coconut aminos is a soy sauce replacer. If you are not soy free, regular soy sauce would work as well.