Orange-Glazed Wild Salmon with Braised Fennel, Roasted Carrots, Wilted Chard, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Wild salmon brushed with a sticky orange, honey, and ginger glaze and roasted until caramelized, served with meltingly tender braised fennel, sweet roasted carrots, garlicky wilted chard, and a scatter of toasted pumpkin seeds.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 35 min · Total: 50 min · Best in North America from late fall through winter, when citrus, fennel, and carrots are at their best (frozen-at-sea wild salmon is perfect this time of year) · Best eaten: early evening
Ingredients
Orange glaze
Zest of 1 orange, plus ½ cup fresh juice
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 small garlic clove, grated
1 tbsp coconut aminos (or a pinch of salt)
Salmon
4 wild salmon fillets (about 6 oz each, skin on)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Braised fennel
2 fennel bulbs, cut into wedges through the core (save the fronds)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or butter
½ cup chicken bone broth
Juice of ½ orange
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Roasted carrots and chard
1 lb carrots, halved lengthwise (or small whole carrots)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems sliced and leaves torn
2 garlic cloves, sliced
Pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon
To finish: ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds, fennel fronds
Method
Roast the carrots. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the carrots with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and roast 25–30 minutes, until caramelized.
Braise the fennel. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the fennel wedges 3–4 minutes per side, until golden. Add the broth, orange juice, and salt, cover, and simmer over low heat 15–20 minutes, until meltingly tender. Uncover and let the liquid reduce to a glaze.
Make the orange glaze. Simmer the orange zest and juice, honey, ginger, garlic, and coconut aminos in a small pan 5–7 minutes, until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons. (Simmering does end raw honey's enzymes, so any good local honey works here.)
Roast the salmon. Turn the oven to 400°F. Rub the salmon with the olive oil and salt, set it skin-side down on a parchment-lined pan, and brush with half the glaze. Roast 8 minutes, brush with the remaining glaze, and roast 2–5 minutes more, until it just flakes and reads about 125°F. For extra caramelization, broil the last 1–2 minutes, watching closely.
Wilt the chard. Warm the remaining olive oil with the garlic and chard stems over medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the leaves and salt and toss until just wilted. Finish with lemon.
Plate. Arrange the chard, braised fennel, and roasted carrots on each plate, set the salmon on top, and finish with toasted pumpkin seeds and fennel fronds.
Storage: Salmon, up to 2 days refrigerated; fennel, carrots, and chard, up to 4 days.
Nourishment Notes
Wild salmon — omega-3s (EPA and DHA), vitamin D, selenium, B12, and astaxanthin. Orange — vitamin C, hesperidin, and d-limonene from the zest. Fennel — anethole, vitamin C, and fiber, traditionally used to ease bloating. Carrots — beta-carotene, made more absorbable by roasting with olive oil. Swiss chard — magnesium, vitamin K, folate, and betalains in its colorful stems. Pumpkin seeds — zinc, magnesium, and iron. Ginger — gingerols.
For your cycle: Wild salmon's omega-3s help calm menstrual inflammation and cramps, chard brings magnesium, and fennel has long been used to ease menstrual discomfort and bloating.
Sourcing
Wild salmon — wild Alaskan sockeye, coho, or king, from Vital Choice or a trusted fishmonger; frozen-at-sea year-round
Oranges — organic (you're using the zest)
Fennel, carrots, and Swiss chard — organic, from a farmers' market
Pumpkin seeds — organic and raw
Honey — organic, local, and unfiltered
Coconut aminos — organic, like Coconut Secret
Chicken bone broth — homemade from pasture-raised chicken, or Bonafide Provisions (organic, sold frozen)
Ginger, garlic, and lemons — organic
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall