Roasted salmon with honey-tart cherry salsa is popular because it perfectly balances the naturally bold, rich flavor of salmon with a vibrant, sweet-and-sour glaze. The sweet honey, zesty fruit, and savory roasted fish offer a gourmet-quality restaurant feel that is incredibly easy to make at home.
About 13 years ago, Brion and I planted a ‘Cupid’ cherry tree in our back yard. I don’t know if you have ever heard about these ‘prairie’ cherry trees. They were developed here in Canada at the University of Saskatchewan for colder climates. A sour cherry was cross pollinated with a Mongolian cherry. This resulted in a variety of very hardy, smaller trees with a tart-sweet cherry about the size of the well-known ‘Bing’ variety. A group of five cherry trees were developed and became known as the ‘Romance’ series.
We chose this particular one because it is an early bloomer with large, dark red cherries that are both sweet and slightly astringent. The fruit matures in late August -early September with about a three-week harvest period. The tree size is perfect as it matures to around eight feet tall. In the fall its glossy green leaves turn into a beautiful yellow orange.
I personally like using these cherries for cooking and baking as opposed to eating them fresh. The sweet/tart flavor lends itself so well to numerous recipes. Over the years, I have come to really enjoy the flavor of chutneys. The flavor and gorgeous color of the cherries made a real nice ‘chutney’ for this roasted salmon.
Since this year’s crop is not ready yet I see no reason not to use some of the frozen ones I have left from last year.
| Servings |
|
- 1 cup frozen tart cherries, thawed & chopped OR use fresh if you have them.
- 1 small (about 1/2 cup) red onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, chopped, OPTIONAL
- 1-2 Tbsp honey
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup tart cherry juice (from frozen cherries)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 454 gm salmon filet, cut into four pieces
Ingredients
Salsa
Salmon
|
Rate this recipe!
|
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ingredients for the salsa until well combined. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil.
- Rinse the salmon filets under cool water & pat dry with a paper towel. Arrange on the baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cherry juice & honey. Spread half of the mixture over the salmon filets, reserving the second half.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes until just about cooked through. Drizzle the second half of the tart cherry-honey mixture over the filets & bake for an additional 2-3 minutes until slightly golden at the edges.
- Serve the salmon filets with roasted potatoes & a green salad, if you wish, with the tart cherry salsa on top.
