Asian Style Mandarin Copper River Salmon - Roasted on the Grill

This evening was an absolutely beautiful evening. It was sunny, mid-upper 70s, and lower humidity (for a change). I had a large fresh wild Copper River Sockeye Salmon fillet that I wanted to cook (I bought it at Costco this weekend for $15.99/lb which is a great price). I roasted it in a large open foil packet on the grill. It was delicious. I had a bag of fresh mandarins and decided I'd incorporate them into the recipe. I wanted a light and delicate Asian style flavor, as to not overpower the delicate flavor of the fresh salmon. I included the easy peasy recipe below. I made a very small amount of "marinade/glaze" to brush on the salmon and it took less than 5 minutes to put together and only 12 minutes to roast on the grill at 425 to 450 degrees F (you could do this in the oven as well). I served the salmon with half of a large avocado with a big fat cherry tomato in place of the avocado seed. It was the perfect light summer meal. Check out the photos and recipe below. Enjoy!

Asian Style Mandarin Roasted Copper River Salmon

Ingredients:

1 large fresh salmon fillet (1 to 1-1/2 pounds)
1 mandarin orange, cut in half crosswise across the sections
1 to 2 teaspoons organic gluten free Tamari sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 green spring onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon honey (regular or sugar free honey substitute)
Dash garlic powder
Dash ground cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat grill (or oven) to 425-450 degrees.

Place salmon fillet in center of large sheet of foil. Slice one of the mandarin halves in thin slices (to place atop of salmon). In a small bowl, squeeze the juice out of the remaining mandarin half (about 2 tablespoons). Whisk in Tamari, sesame seeds, green onion, honey, garlic powder and cayenne. Spoon or brush marinade over top of salmon fillet and allow to sit while the grill or oven is heating.

Gently crimp and form foil into a packet around salmon fillet to hold juices as it roasts (keep packet open on top while roasting). Place on hot grill and close lid. Try and maintain grill temperature between 425 and 450 degrees F. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and transfer foil packet to a platter or baking sheet. Crimp and close packet tightly to allow salmon to continue cooking gently off the heat for about 5 minutes. Squeeze with additional mandarin, if desired, before serving.