When I was 10 years old, I decided to become a pescatarian.  My parents were very worried, but I am sure I ate more protein than I needed between seafood a few times a week and a daily dose of cheese.  When I went to college, I went on a date (with my now-husband) and he asked me if I wanted to try his steak.  I have no idea why I said yes (maybe I wanted to make sure there would be a another date), but I tried it and thought steak wasn’t as bad as I remembered.  Forward a few decades later and I am not loving animal protein other than seafood yet again.  And ironically, the meat-and-potatoes husband is now newly plant-based.  Life is definitely unpredictable, if nothing else.

But my kids have always been big protein eaters, even Mr. Picky, who loves salmon as much as anything out there.  He doesn’t get his name because he only eats foods that are kid foods.  He gets his name from having a very limited range of what he’ll eat.  So I make all the proteins and every now and then I’ll have a couple of ounces at dinner and think it’s pretty good.  But fish is still my go-to and I will only buy WILD fish, PASTURED chicken, and GRASS-FED beef.  I also prefer animals raised on smaller farms rather than huge industrial operations, which is how I came to be a Moink customer.  I have been ordering subscription boxes for about a year from Moink which supplies frozen, individually packaged cuts of wild salmon, beef, lamb, pork and chicken.  I customize my box to include only the proteins my family eats and keep my stash in the freezer.  Since the pieces are all about 1 pound each, they defrost very quickly, making it ideal for weeknight dinners.  I realize the prices might seem pricey compared to conventionally-raised proteins, but that’s not a fair comparison.  When it comes to all food, but especially animal proteins, you get what you pay for.

I recently selected three varieties of wild salmon in my latest box which included King, Sockeye and Keta.  I had never tried Keta before, but it is a little lower in oil and therefore slightly firmer than other varieties.  King has always been and still is my favorite because I like the higher fat content and softer flesh.  They all work with this flavorful browned butter-maple-miso glaze which has a little bit of an Asian flair.  It’s a really flexible recipe which you can make spicy, sweet, salty or take out the browned butter and sub in a little sesame oil for that nutty flavor.  My son went crazy for this fish and so did I.  I put leftovers into a salad the next day, but I wish I had wrapped up some of the fish in a sheet of nori with some avocado and gomasio!

In order to defrost a piece of vacuum-sealed frozen fish, place it in the fridge for about 6 hours (I always put frozen items in a dish in case there’s leakage) or place it in a bowl of cool water for 10-20 minutes.  I cooked this fish a couple of different ways and I think you should experiment based on your own preferences.  I preferred it baked and then broiled to get that light crispiness. If you want minimal work, just put it in the oven and forget about it.  Both ways are described below.  If you had more time, you could also slow-roast the salmon for 20 minutes at 275 and then give it a quick broil for a minute or two.  I personally love the tenderness of a slow roasted salmon, but it takes more time.  I served this one night with roasted asparagus and rice, another night with roasted sweet potatoes and grilled zucchini, and yet another night with a tomato salad and spicy honey-lemon green beans.  All really different, but it showed me the versatility of the flavors of this glaze.

If you’re interested in trying a Moink Box, use PAMELASALZMAN for $20 off your first box. Shipping is always free! Go to www.moinkbox.com for more info.

As always, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman on Instagram if you make my recipes.  It makes my day to see your creations!  xo

You can shop the tools I used for this recipe by clicking on the images below!