Panko-crusted Salmon

Shane and I were eating salmon all the time over the summer when we were able to stick it on the grill. Now that winter is here, however, I don’t think we’ve had salmon even once. We both really like salmon (plus it’s healthy) so when I found some on sale at the store yesterday, I picked it up. Then I set out to find a recipe that would incorporate both the salmon and some panko breadcrumbs I bought a few weeks ago. This was one of the simplest recipes I found and it’s definitely a winner. We halved the original recipe for the two of us. Can’t wait to make it again!

Panko-crusted Salmon
from Simply Recipes

4 teaspoons olive oil
4 pieces thickly cut, boneless salmon (each 6 oz)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp honey mustard or sweet-hot mustard (see below recipe)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Set the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the honey mustard and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. In another small bowl, mix the panko with the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme, 4 teaspoons of olive oil, parsley, and paprika.

Using a small spoon, spread the mustard mixture on the salmon; top with the bread crumb mixture.

Roast the salmon for 12-14 minutes or until it is almost completely firm to the touch and flakes when poked with a fork.

Honey Mustard
from Allrecipes.com

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (I used dijon, but yellow mustard works too)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey and lemon juice in a small bowl. Store covered in the refrigerator.

The original recipe yields 6 tablespoons but I scaled it back to make 2 tablespoons without a problem.