Just when I think the darkness of winter will never lift, the daylight begins to grow longer and citrus season is here. I couldn’t believe it when these gorgeous clementines showed up in our small rural grocery store. I had to buy them – and buy them all I did. It’s the little things.
The clementine is a hybrid between the mandarin orange and the sweet orange, and they tend to be deliciously juicy. This allows them to lend themselves nicely in creating glazes ands sauces. I am also just enamored with the longevity in which the leaves and stems remain green despite sitting the fruit bowl for days. A pop of the promise of summer in mid-winter is always welcome.
The clementine’s vibrancy and the sockeye’s robust flavor pair together so nicely in this simple dish that is driven home with a hint of maple, garlic and ginger for savor. This dish is certain to win over even the most reluctant salmon cook and eater alike. Baked in the oven low and slow, it is a no fuss, moist delicious sockeye salmon dish. 
Citrus Maple Sockeye Salmon
(Serves 4-5 as main dish protein; total time 30 min.)
You’ll need:
- 1 wild Alaska sockeye salmon fillet (portioned into individual chunks as pictured, skin on)
- two clementines, juiced
- 3 tablespoons grade B maple syrup (I like the twang of grade B but feel free to use what you have on hand)
- 2 garlic cloves crushed or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger or a bit of fresh shredded
To make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Place salmon portions evenly spaced, approximately a finger width apart on cookie sheet, skin side down.
In a small bowl whisk together the clementine juice, maple syrup, garlic and ginger until combined. Pour entire quantity of sauce over fillet portions allowing sauce to pool around their bases.
Place pan into the oven on the middle rack and bake for 18-20 minutes until the fillet’s fat begins to bubble white from the sockeye’s flesh and the portions are an even lightened pink throughout. Spoon pooled sauce over top of fillet portions to serve.
This dish pairs well with rice, a garden salad with a citrus balsamic dressing, or oven roasted root vegetables.
If you like sweet and spicy, try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste in the sauce giving it a bit of a punch.
Hi Suzie,
In your beautiful photos I noticed your Ulu knife. I know little about them other than what I’ve seen on Life Below Zero. What do you like using it to cut? I was on Amazon looking at them. Do you have a strong brand preference?
Thanks,
Tom
Hi Tom – I love my Ulu’s for cutting fish, meat, and vegetables. It takes getting used to but the rocking efficiently chops and minces and they are great to use to transition from precision cuts to wide swaths such as you do so when filleting.
The Ulu pictured is made by Pete Dunham in Salcha, AK and I love it. Try looking up The Ulu Factory it is a store in Anchorage AK that specializes in Ulu’s!