About the Recipe
This is a great holiday entertaining recipe that is quick to prepare and sure to please your party guests! It is also great as a larger appetizer or simple dinner. Be sure to buy Wild BC Salmon, available fresh July to September and all year long in your grocer or fishmongers freezer. By looking for and buying Wild BC Salmon you are supporting fishing families in coastal communities across BC, keeping that money and investment in those regions and keeping fishing families working on protecting the resource and the environment for future generations.
Ingredients
Wild BC Salmon:
3 lbs Wild BC Salmon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
½ tsp cayenne (or chili powder)
3 tbsp maple syrup
Cranberry and bacon relish:
3 cups frozen BC cranberries
1 cup dried cranberries
2 cups diced double smoked bacon (I used Johnston's Pork)
¼ cup fine diced shallots
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
¼ cup cranberry juice
¼ red wine vinegar
¼ maple syrup
Preparation
Relish:
Sauté the diced bacon in olive oil for 7-10 minutes over medium heat until crispy and golden brown, pour off half the bacon fat/olive oil - Add the shallots and sauté for 5 minutes until the shallots are tender and translucent - Add the salt and pepper, cranberry juice, red wine vinegar and maple syrup, cook for 1 minute - Add the whole cranberries and cook for 5 minutes - Add the dried cranberries and cover with lid, cook for 15-20 minutes until the liquid is reduce by ¾ and the cranberries, burst, swell and become tender - Let the mixture cool and set aside
Wild BC Salmon: - Preheat an oven at 425 degrees - In a bowl, mix the diced salmon with the salt, cayenne pepper, cracked black pepper, maple syrup - Lay the salmon on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or tin foil - Bake the salmon for 10 minutes - Set aside To serve the dish, serve family style with the salmon on a platter, the bacon cranberry relish garnished on top and your favourite plain crackers or crostini or toasted and olive oil brushed baguette served alongside. *The guests can build the own snack by spooning the relish onto a crostini or crackers and a piece of salmon on top or underneath.