Introducing a heartfelt dish from North Shore certified chef and cookbook author of The Lake Michigan Cottage Cookbook, Amelia Levin. This salmon dish is a weeknight-friendly, gently roasted salmon with a savory-sweet glaze—kid-adaptable and low-stress––enjoy! Fetch more family-friendly recipes from Amelia on her substack, created in honor of her mom as she battles FTD.
Serves 4 (or 2 adults and 2 kids)
Tip: If cooking for kids who may not love spice, leave a portion of the salmon unglazed and season it simply with olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 to 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Salmon & Broccoli:
1 bag broccoli florets or broccoli florets from 1 large head (about 3 to 4 cups) (save the stalks for stock or soup, they’re hard to break down in a short amount of time in the oven)
Avocado oil
1 to 1 ½ pounds big salmon fillet (or 4 small fillets), skin on or off (it’s ok to cook a little more than you might eat to have leftover salmon for a nice rice bowl for lunch or another dinner)
Kosher salt
Gochujang Glaze:
1/3 cup gochujang paste (I like this brand, available online and from Whole Foods)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free)
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided (just use jarred if you’re short on time or this is a great method for making a bunch of fresh minced ginger once that you can grab when needed)
2 teaspoons minced ginger, divided
1 teaspoon gochugaru (I like this same brand) or crushed red pepper flakes (optional for spice; serve on the side if cooking for kids)
2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated (I store scallions in a jar with water on the windowsill they will last forever and even grow back if you snip off the tops)
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Suggested Sides:
Cooked white or brown rice (I love these 90-second rice packets from Target, the kids live off this stuff) or here’s a solid CLAC way to make a fresh batch of rice
Cooked quinoa, if you prefer (I love this little guy)
Cauliflower rice, homemade or store-bought (Trader Joe’s has a good one, this one I get from Whole Foods too)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Add broccoli florets to a large sheet tray or glass baking dish, drizzle lightly with avocado oil, and season with a small pinch or two of kosher salt. Toss to coat and push to the edges to make room for the salmon, pushing the broccoli around to lightly oil the bottom of the tray or dish.
Place salmon fillet (or fillets pushed close together), skin-side down, in the center of the tray or dish.
Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the gochujang paste, soy sauce, honey or maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the ginger, and the gochugaru (if using). Stir in some of the scallion green parts, reserving the rest for garnish.
Spoon the gochujang glaze over the salmon, spreading it into an even layer (leave part of the salmon unglazed if your kids are picky about that). You can also dot some of the broccoli with the glaze for the sauce, leaving some plan if your kids will freak out about that too. Don’t worry if some glaze runs over—that will be the “sauce” for later.
Bake until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of between 125°F and 130°F, doesn’t flake too easily with a fork but isn’t squishy either, and the broccoli is tender with lightly caramelized edges, about 15 to 18 minutes, checking the temperature around the 15-minute mark (my oven is not hot and reached 127°F exactly at 18 minutes, which was perfect).
Remove from the oven and let the salmon rest for about 5 minutes. Serve salmon and broccoli, spooning up extra glaze from the baking dish, with sides of choice. Garnish with the remaining scallion green parts and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
Check out more family-friendly recipes on Chicago North Shore Moms.
