Balsamic Maple Glazed Wild Alaskan Salmon

I had an interesting conversation this evening. Typically when newcomers come in to inquire about CrossFit and the facility, there's one, maybe two people...friends or a couple. Well today a family of four shuffled in; mom, dad, a teenage older daughter and teenage son. As they came in, both trainers were busy with other athletes, I decided to introduce myself and see what they wanted. Mom spoke up first and said they were in vacationing in Georgia and decided to drive down and check out college campuses, however, the daughter's main concern was actually what the [CrossFit] boxes were like in town. That should have been my first clue that they were already super into CrossFit, but clearly I'm oblivious to things like that, so I started on my story about the history of our box, our other locations, the set up of our classes and how they run, etc. Come to find out, both kids have been doing CrossFit for like two years and the daughter is looking into getting her L1 certification! How cool is that?! Not even out of high school and kicking ass already! She goes on to talk about how she competes and just finished a competition last weekend down in West Palm Beach. She's already a little badass in my book. They haven't made any decisions yet on where she wants to go to school, but somewhere away from home (Port St. Lucie). I hope she heads our way. I'd love to be able to see her in action. 

In other news, this salmon is also badass. Make it soon. It's delicious! That is all. :o)

Balsamic Maple Glazed Wild Alaskan Salmon

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2-3

Special Tools:

Small bowl

Basting brush

Foil lined baking sheet

Ingredients:

3 wild salmon steaks, about 6-8 ounces each, skin left on

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp of dark grade maple syrup

1 tsp of garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp of dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Instructions:

1.Preheat the oven to broil on low. Make sure the rack is positioned in the middle of the oven, at least three rungs down.

2. Rinse the salmon under cold water and pat dry. Then put them skin side down onto a foil lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper to taste.*

3. In a bowl, add the oil, vinegar, syrup, garlic cloves, and mustard. Mix well to combine. 

4. Use a basting brush to coat the tops and sides of the salmon, reserving more than half of the glaze.

5. Put the baking sheet into the oven and broil for 5 minutes. Then brush the glaze onto the salmon again. Repeat after 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 2-3 minutes. 

Serve it up with your favorite veggies. I sautéed up some butternut squash and zucchini and also steamed a head of broccoli. 

*If you or your significant other freaks out about fish skin like mine does, I will say it's much easier to remove once the salmon is cooked. Just hold down one of the corners with a fork or knife and slowly start lifting it up. It should come off fairly easy.