Pineapple-Glazed Salmon and Vegetables

Makes: 4 servings

Total Carbohydrates: 12 grams per serving

Hands-on Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This dish manages to achieve a delicious teriyaki vibe without adding any refined sweeteners, and when our son was little, this was pretty much the gateway for him becoming a lover of salmon. I’m lazy, so I like to broil it, but if folks in your household will be more excited by kabobs, then by all means cut the salmon into 1-inch chunks and thread salmon, zucchini, cherry tomato, and red onion chunks onto bamboo skewers (first soak the bare skewers in water for 30 minutes). Then broil the kabobs or grill them on a well-oiled grill for 5 minutes. Another possible variation is using a different fish – black cod, maybe, or sea bass – but there is something truly magical about the flavor of the fruity sweet-tart glaze with the rich salmon. Serve with cauliflower rice, if you like.

If you’re looking to:

Lower the salt: Use low-sodium soy sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup 100% pineapple juice (refrigerated or bottled)

1 pound zucchini (around 2 medium) or 3-4 cups broccoli florets

1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (or vegetable oil)

Slivered scallions and/or toasted sesame seeds for topping

Instructions 

1. Heat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil.

2. In a small pot over medium heat simmer the pineapple juice until it is reduced to about 1/2 cup, around 8-10 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, prep the vegetables. Cube the zucchini: trim off the ends, cut each zuke lengthwise into quarters, then cut the quarters across into chunks. (Or cut the broccoli into florets and slice the stems thickly.)

4. Pour the reduced juice into a heatproof pie plate (or a bowl), add the soy sauce, garlic, and oil, and put it in the refrigerator to cool for a minute or two. This is the marinade.

5. Add the zucchini (or broccoli) to the marinade, mix it around, then use your hands or a slotted spoon to pull it out of the marinade and spread it on the baking sheet. Put it in the oven and roast the zucchini for 15 minutes (10 minutes for broccoli).

6. Add the salmon to the marinade and leave it while the vegetables roast.

7. After 15 minutes, scootch the veggies over to one side of the pan and arrange the salmon on the other side. Put the pan in the oven for 8-12 more minutes, depending on how thick your salmon is and how well you like it cooked. (Use a paring knife to peek inside it to check if it’s done: I like mine to be just a little bright and pink still in the center, but you might like yours more opaque and cooked through.)

8. Meanwhile, simmer the reserved marinade in the small pot for 5 or so minutes until reduced to 1/4 cup, and drizzle over the fish and vegetables. Top with scallions and/or sesame seeds and serve. 

About Catherine

Catherine loves to write about food and feeding people. In addition to her recipe and parenting blog Ben & Birdy (which has about 15,000 weekly readers), she edits the ChopChop series of mission-driven cooking magazines. This kids’ cooking magazine won the James Beard Publication of the Year award in 2013 – the first non-profit ever to win it – and a Parents’ Choice Gold Award. Her book "How to Be A Person" was published in 2020. She also helped develop Sprout, a WIC version of the magazine for families enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), as well as Seasoned, their senior version. They distribute over a million magazines annually, through paid subscriptions, doctor’s offices, schools, and hospitals. Their mission started with obesity as its explicit focus – and has shifted, over the years, to a more holistic one, with health, happiness, and real food at its core. That’s the same vibe Catherine brings to the diaTribe column.

[Photo Credit: Catherine Newman]