Sticky Apricot Salmon with Citrus Salad

I hope I had you at the title of this dish because it is as delicious as it sounds! When I was growing up, my mom would often make apricot chicken and I think that I was subconsciously inspired by her dish when I created this recipe. If you have been following my blog for a while you know apricot jam is one of my favorite ingredients to sweeten or glaze savory dishes. It has that honey-glaze feel, texture and taste and if you buy one with no sugar added, then you can have the delicious taste without the artificial additions. I usually find these all-natural jams at Whole Foods. This past week I was excited to see  Little Leaf Farms lettuce now being sold at my nearby Whole Foods too. So, in addition to the jam, I also picked up my favorite green leaf lettuce!

Little Leaf Farms lettuce is so crisp and has such a long shelf life because it is always fresh and local. You can also find it through Amazon Fresh– another easy way to grocery shop. I always, always have salad with my meals. They are a great way to get in extra vitamins and nutrients. For this dish I wanted to pair the salmon with a citrus-dressed salad but I decided to use fresh orange juice instead of my usual lemon and oil dressing. This works especially well at this time as I am trying to focus on ingredients rich in vitamin C to ward off the season’s germs and viruses. I also roasted the salmon with slices of orange, which caramelize in the oven and taste like candied oranges! 

A crisp refreshing salad with salmon is a simple dinner that I can opt for when I’m short on time and haven’t been able to plan out a meal. The great part about this glaze is that mostly everything is shelf stable so if your pantry is well stocked, you can whip it up without a trip to the store. To add some more bite to the salad I added a mix of fresh vegetables like radishes, carrots and tomatoes. But feel free to mix up whatever you have in the fridge. Cucumbers or peppers would also be great additions. When it comes to choosing greens I like to look for the freshest possible option and then stock up for the week without having to worry about them spoiling after a few days. Little Leaf Farms lettuce has been a game changer because I never need to worry about my greens wilting.

The citrus dressing in this recipe combines fresh orange juice (I use one small orange) with chopped parsley and stores well in the fridge for use at a later time. I made this last week and I can’t wait to make it again!

Sticky Apricot Salmon Recipe

 Apricot Salmon Glaze

• 4, 6 oz pieces of salmon
• 1 cup no sugar added apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons braggs amino acid (or soy sauce/tamari/coconut aminos)
•  Juice from 1 lemon- about 3-4 tablespoons ·      
• *optional 1 orange sliced

Directions    

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place salmon on prepared tray. If including an orange slice, it up and place it on the tray 
3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the apricot jam, braggs amino acid and lemon juice
4. Once mixed spoon the glaze over the salmon evenly coating each one.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until desired likeness 

Citrus Salad Recipe

• 1-2 packages of Little Leaf Farms green leaf lettuce
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 4 radishes sliced
• 1/4 cup cherry tomato’s chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons parsley chopped
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
• salt to taste

Directions 

1. In a large mixing bowl toss together greens, carrots, radishes and tomatoes.
2. In a small mixing bowl whisk together orange juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, parsley and salt. Toss salad with dressing and serve with salmon