Broiled Brown Sugar & Soy Sauce Glazed Salmon w/ Fried Rice

Yay! I get to share my first recipe!! And, this is one of my favorites too!

I make this often because it's easy and I love salmon! The fried rice is probably not the best for you if you're watching your caloric intake, but I choose to pick my battles some days.

I like to cook meals for the work week ahead of time. Often I will do this on my Sunday, and I'm usually cooking at night. At this time of the day I find that I'm not as hungry and I'm less likely to snack on what I'm cooking. My mind also tends to unwind when cooking and I feel like I get a little "me" time in.

This meal will last me two days and it's very filling, so it counts as my "late lunch early dinner" meal and I usually just snack on some fruits and veggies throughout the day on top of this and the breakfast I likely had earlier that day.

Broiled Brown Sugar & Soy Sauce Glazed Salmon w/ Fried Rice

I like to make small variations to this recipe, based on what veggies I'm planning to add to the rice. This time I went pretty low key and just added in some left over frozen peas and carrots that I had on hand. In the past I've added things such as mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus or water chestnuts. **Trader Joe's sells what they call a 'Harvest Hodgepodge' .... 

... and this is a GREAT addition to your fried rice if you are a Trader Joe's shopper!** I wouldn't suggest adding much more than 2 cups of vegetables though.

I made my marinade/glaze first, using sesame oil, soy sauce and brown sugar. I usually just pour all of my ingredients in to a sandwich or freezer baggie (depending on how much meat I'm marinading) and then add the meat in. This time I had approximately 10 ounces of salmon and just cut it in half.

While that sits in the fridge for approximately 20-30 minutes I make my rice! I like to use Rice-a-Roni's Fried Rice because it's quick and easy to make. I have yet to make my own fried rice, and I will someday, but this will suffice just fine for now.

            

When I'm done with the rice, I ration it out 50/50, which usually turns out to be about 2 cups/serving. 

**Just remember (if your counting calories and logging your food) you added 1 1/2 - 2 cups of veggies, so realistically, you're meal contains 3/4 - 1 cup of veggies and approximately 1 1/4 cups rice.**

Now, for your salmon. This doesn't take long if you are going to broil it. Max 10-15 minutes! I like to flip my portions halfway through so all the glaze hardens and cooks on both sides of the fish. but you certainly don't have to do this. It will cook through within 15 minutes. 

I use a piece of tin foil (easy clean up) on a cookie sheet and fold all four sides of it up to create a little nest for my salmon. I like to pour all of the leftover marinade/glaze on the foil so it just permeates into my pieces of salmon while it cooks!

Here's the breakdown of ingredients and cooking instructions ....

Broiled Brown Sugar & Soy Sauce Glazed Salmon w/ Fried Rice

Prep Time: 5 Min or Less   Cook Time: 30 Minute Total (Rice & Fish)   Servings: 2

Ingredients

10oz                    Fresh Alaskan Salmon
1 Box                   Rice-a-Roni Fried Rice

2 Cups                Water
2 Tbsp                 Butter or Margarine

1 1/2-2 Cups         Vegetables (Frozen or fresh & slightly saute'd)

2 Tbsp                 Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp                 Sesame Oil

3 Tbsp                 Soy Sauce

Instructions

Combine your sesame oil, soy sauce and brown sugar in a sandwich bag, making sure the brown sugar dissolves in the liquids. Then add your salmon to the sandwich bag, seal it tight and place in the fridge for approximately 20-30 minutes. 

Using 2 tablespoons of butter in a non-stick skillet, add your rice and vermicelli from the Rice-a-Roni box. You're butter will start to melt, as this happens mix the rice and vermicelli so that the melted butter is coating everything. Continue to do this until your vermicelli starts to brown. Once brown, while stirring, slowly add 2 cups of water and the provided package of seasoning. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, cover and let simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Just before your rice is deemed tender, add your vegetables** and turn the head down to low for approximately 2-3 minutes.

On a cooking sheet, place your salmon (and the remaining juices of your marinade if you'd like) on a piece of tinfoil. Place cooking sheet under a pre-heated broiler (medium/high setting). Cook for a total time of 10-15 minutes, or until the salmon is easily flaked. I recommend turning the piece of salmon over halfway through cook time so both sides get charred and the glaze bakes in to the piece of salmon. 

**If you're using frozen vegetables, running warm water over them so they thaw a little is recommended**

**If you're using fresh vegetables, saute them in a separate skillet while your rice is simmering**

And if you like a little heat, my favorite hot sauce to add to this is some good old Sriracha!

Nutrition Information ---> Total Calories: 690   Fat: 20g   Protein: 50g

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Like I mentioned before, this isn't the most nutritious meal out there. But I sure think it's delicious and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! So if you do decide to make it, I would love to hear from you and how it turned out, and what you thought. Post a comment or send me an email! 

Thanks for letting me share!

Crista