Paper Palate

With the summer months upon us, I find that I am more interested in lighter meals.  With this in mind, I was very excited when I received the June issue of Cooking Light.  I know I can look to Cooking Light for the lighter-tasting meals that I am craving right now.  One of the things I really appreciate about Cooking Light is that they provide the nutrition stats for each and every recipe. Granted, if you are making sweets, I find that their serving sizes are so small that you’d end up eating more just to be satisfied. 

Now, with my desire to eat healthier in the summertime, I also like to incorporate fish whenever I can. The recipe for the Brown Sugar and Mustard Salmon jumped out at me immediately. The glaze consists of brown sugar, Dijon mustard, coriander, and ground ginger all mixed together. The flavors provide a sweet and mildly spicy glaze that you spread over the salmon prior to grilling. 

The recommended grilling method is indirect heat, and they suggest placing the fish skin-side up on the grill. I didn’t like the idea of having to put a drip pan under it, so I placed it on a piece of foil and grilled it skin-side down. In about 30 minutes my salmon fillet was cooked perfectly - it was a fairly thick piece of salmon. I loved how the brown sugar caramelized in some areas and really added to the flavor of the salmon. Many times a sauce or glaze will detract from the natural flavor of the fish, but not so in this case. I served it with grilled asparagus and a simple bow-tie pasta tossed with sauteed shallots. Absolutely delicious!

Brown Sugar and Mustard Salmon - Cooking Light, June 2008

Indirect grilling cooks larger fish fillets more slowly and delicately than direct grilling; individual fillets are fine for direct heat. Use a center-cut piece so the fish is an even thickness; it will cook more evenly than a tapered tail end. Leave the skin on, as the fish lifts off the skin easily once cooked. Scrape off the skin remaining on the grill once it has cooled.


2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1 1/2-pound) center-cut salmon fillet

1. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium-high and leave one side with no heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals on either side of charcoal grate, leaving an empty space in the middle.

2. Combine first 7 ingredients, stirring until well blended. Spread mustard mixture over fish; let stand 15 minutes.

3. Carefully remove grill rack. Place a disposable aluminum foil pan on unheated part of grill. Carefully return grill rack to grill. Place fish, skin-side down, on grill rack over unheated part. Close lid; grill 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from grill by inserting a spatula between skin and fish. Discard skin.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: about 5 ounces)

CALORIES 267 (37% from fat); FAT 11.1g (sat 2.5g, mono 4.6g, poly 2.5g); IRON 0.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 80mg; CALCIUM 31mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.7g; SODIUM 340mg; PROTEIN 31.6g; FIBER 0.5g (src: Cooking Light, JUNE 2008)