My Dad's Brown Sugar Salmon

I was thinking of calling this my dad’s famous salmon recipe, but that’s not quite accurate. Up until now, only close friends and loved ones have had access to this recipe. If everything goes as planned though, after this magazine is released, I’ll get to update the title.

My dad is a great cook. If he ever opened a restaurant, the menu would be on the shorter side, but everything on it would be perfected. He has a small repertoire of dishes, but he’s got them down to a fine art. Most of the time, when I eat a dish he likes to make but didn’t cook himself, I end up saying to myself, “My dad could’ve made this better.” That definitely goes for the salmon.

Don’t get me wrong - I’ve had some great salmon dishes elsewhere - but I always come back to this one. It has my heart. We have this salmon at least once a week, and no one ever gets tired of it. It’s really that good. And I’m admittedly only slightly biased, because the friends I’ve shared this recipe with say the same.

The OG chicken scratched, written recipe

Note:

My dad likes to say that most things you can cook in an oven, you can grill on a BBQ. That said, this recipe works both ways — baked or grilled!

This recipe serves 3–4 people. Any leftover rub can be stored at room temperature for future use.

The Rub:

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon coriander

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon allspice (optional)

The Salmon:

• 1 pound Atlantic salmon, skin on

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F or preheat your BBQ grill to 400–425°F.

2. Brush the olive oil over the top and sides of the salmon using a brush.

3. Combine all ingredients for The Rub in a small bowl. If you have a spice grinder or spice ball, use that. Otherwise, mix and lightly crush everything with a spoon or fork.

4. Apply the rub generously to the top and sides of the salmon using your fingers. Most of the rub should go on the top — it should be well coated.

5. Let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the salmon to absorb the flavours.

6. If baking:Bake skin-side down at 375°F for 11–13 minutes.

7. If grilling:Grill skin-side down for 10–12 minutes.

8. Done! Plate and serve however you like.

   
   

We usually enjoy this with rice or quinoa, baked sweet potato, green beans, and BBQ’d carrots! Enjoy!