Salmon Fillet with Caramelized Pineapple
I haven’t been feeling all that good lately. In fact, to be completely honest, I have been feeling pretty bad. Ever had a panic attack? Well, I feel like I’ve been having one long neverending one for something like a week now: short breath, heart pounding, uncontrollable feeling of anxiety, and of course, my tummy seems to have entirely locked up on me. Like it completely refuses to eat. My appetite and desire for food went completely numb; so much so, I’ve lost 7 pounds in as many days.
Not what I would call ideal for a food blogger!
Still… I know better than to starve myself and during those difficult times, I have to make sure that I focus on feeding my body the best possible food! I’ve even decided to ban My Evil Twin from the kitchen for a little while; under the circumstances, there’s no room in my diet for her decadent treats. Besides, believe it or not, I don’t even feel like eating her stuff. Not even cheesecake… Yeah! It’s that bad.
I work really hard at convincing my brains to come up with delicious and HIGHLY nutritious recipes, such as this Salmon Fillet with Caramelized Pineapple.
Fruit tends to be accepted by Mr. Tummy fairly well, but while carbs do a good job at supplying my body with energy, it’s not ideal as far as feeding my brain and muscles go. I also need to eat a decent amount of good fat and protein. Can you think of anything better than salmon to provide a generous dose of both? And you don’t need to be eating tons of it, either, to reap the benefits.
Salmon would be one of those foods that’s known for being a top brain food because, apart from being a great source of protein, it’s also an amazing source of vitamin B12 and a major source of fatty omega-3! All things I can definitely use right now.
Lucky for me, salmon happens to be something that I really enjoy eating, so I paired it with fruit to get my tummy to accept it even easier. That said, if you think that salmon and pineapple make for a strange match, think again! They make a tremendous pair, these two! Even my son, who shared lunch with me that day, said so.
I’ll probably be having more salmon in the days to come: I’ve already planned on making my Maple Walnut Crusted Salmon this week-end. Hey, that one’s got even more brain food! And that can’t be a bad thing.
Don’t worry, though, I won’t be sharing nothing but salmon recipes for the next few weeks. I’ve already managed to negotiate a batch of much needed bone broth, some sort of chicken soup, some roasted butternut squash and a couple of smoothies or protein shakes. We’ll see what comes of it.
But for now, let’s focus on this current recipe. As is the case with most salmon dishes, this one is really quick to make. Salmon cooks so fast, it’s hard for it to be any other way…
Before you start cooking your fish, make sure that all your ingredients are ready to go: pineapple, bell pepper and red onion chopped and all the ingredients for the sauce mixed together well in a small bowl or measuring cup.
Then, place one of your oven racks to the top position and set the oven to broil; You’ll want that fish to sit as close as possible to the hot element!
Next, heat a teaspoon or so of cooking fat or oil in a heavy bottomed skillet (get the cast iron out if you have one) set over very high heat.
Brush the fish fillets with a little bit of toasted sesame oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Once the pan is scorching hot, carefully place the fillets in, skin side down; cook for about 2 minutes, or until the skin gets really crispy.
Remove the fillets to an oven safe baking dish and place them right under the boiler until the top becomes golden and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Like I said, make sure that your fish is as close as possible to the hot element, otherwise, by the time the flesh gets to caramelize, the fish fillets will be way overcooked!
While the fish is in the oven, place the skillet back over the heat source and add the pineapple chunks, bell pepper and red onions to it. Cook, over high heat still, until the pineapple is caramelized, which should take about 2 minutes.
Add the sauce and continue cooking until it’s reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 30 seconds.
Transfer the caramelized pineapple to a serving plate and top with the salmon fillets.
Serve without delay.
Salmon Fillet with Caramelized Pineapple
Ingredients
- 2 - 6oz fresh salmon fillets with skin
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- sprinkle salt and pepper
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- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/4 large orange bell pepper, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp chopped red onion
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- 2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp unpasteurized honey
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Before you start cooking your fish, make sure that all your ingredients are ready to go: pineapple, bell pepper and red onion chopped and all the ingredients for the sauce mixed together well in a small bowl or measuring cup.
- Then, place one of your oven racks to the top position and set the oven to broil.
- Heat a teaspoon or so of cooking fat or oil in a heavy bottomed skillet (cast iron preferred) set over very high heat.
- Brush the fish fillets with a little bit of toasted sesame oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Once the pan is scorching hot, carefully place the fillets in, skin side down; cook for about 2 minutes, or until the skin gets really crispy. Remove the fillets to an oven safe baking dish and place them right under the boiler until the top becomes golden and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the skillet back over the heat source and add the pineapple, bell pepper and red onions to it. Cook, over high heat still, until the pineapple is caramelized, about 2 minutes. Add the sauce and continue cooking until it's reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a serving plate and top with the salmon fillets; serve immediately.
Nutrition
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4 Comments on “Salmon Fillet with Caramelized Pineapple”
No appetite? Not even cheesecake?! Oh Sonia, this IS serious! You may not know this but I was diagnosed with anxiety at ten years old so I can completely relate to what your feeling. 🙁 when I get anxious and overwhelmed, my appetite is no where to be found. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard “oh I wish I would loose my appetite! All I want is to eat!” But as a food lover, it is torture!! Man oh man though, if this salmon doesn’t get your mouth salivating nothing will! Not to mention it has two of my boyfriends favorites! I have a feeling this will be on heavy rotation. Sending hugs and prayers your way, Sonia!!! <3
I couldn’t agree more, Jordan: losing your appetite is not fun at all, especially not when you work as a food blogger AND that your job is what’s causing the anxiety to start with… Let’s just say I’m not in a super happy place right now and I really hope it passes soon. How do you deal with the anxiety, if I may ask? Do you get actual panic attacks? I’m thinking maybe I should go see a doctor, but fear that all they’re gonna do is feed me medication…
Thanks for your hugs and support, by the way. They’re much appreciated! 🙂
Hi Sonia-
Would seasoned rice vinegar throw off the flavor of the dish? That’s all I have on hand.
My daughter suffers from anxiety. Medication is not something I consider as a first course of action. So we went to talk to a therapist for a few sessions and she had some great ideas for handling it including a method called “tapping”. Just talking it through with someone other than family seemed to help her as well. Hope it’s passes and your feeling like yourself again soon! Appreciate all you do for us foodies!
To be honest, Ann, I’ve never even tried seasoned rice vinegar, so it’s really hard for me to tell. I can’t see it tasting THAT much different, though, (perhaps it’s a little sweeter, like mirin?) so I’d be tempted to say go right ahead and use the flavored one, if that’s all you have.
And thank you much for your kind words of encouragement. I’m starting to feel better, my appetite seems to be getting back to normal now, especially at night. I’ll definitely have to look into tapping, though. Thanks for the tip! 🙂