Maple Aleppo-Glazed Salmon with Crispy Rice
Maple Aleppo-Glazed Salmon with Crispy Rice has everything that I want on my plate…a gorgeous piece of fresh salmon topped with a sweet-spicy glaze of maple syrup and aleppo pepper baked over crispy seasoned rice. Oh, did I say that it’s all made in the oven on one sheet pan? No spraying hot oil all over the cooktop when you’re trying to make crispy rice, no using multiple pans and pots, no tough cleanup. Sounds perfect, right??!!
Wait until you taste it…you’ll see just how perfect it is!
Let’s discuss crispy rice. This is a favorite of mine. Check out this incredible first course of Crispy Rice Tuna Stack if you are also a fan. Crispy rice just makes everything better, in my opinion. But…it can be a pain in the backside as you typically have to baby it on the cooktop to make sure it doesn’t burn while hot oil splats all over you, the cooktop and the floor. Boo.
In this recipe, we are going to lightly season cooked short-grain rice like sushi-grade rice, and then spread it into a oiled hot sheet pan. That’s the key to the sizzle. Spread the seasoned rice in a thin layer on a small sheet pan and let it bake at a high heat for 15-20 minutes until it starts to crisp up.
While the rice is baking, combine the soy sauce, maple syrup and Aleppo pepper in a small skillet. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken and remove from the heat.
After the rice has baked for 15 or 20 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven and place the salmon filets on top of the rice. Spoon the glaze over the top, being careful to not get it on the pan (the glaze can burn if it touches the pan).
Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
Serve the salmon with the crispy rice on the side. Garnish the salmon with lime wedges, sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.
Enjoy this mouthwatering dish!
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Maple Aleppo-Glazed Salmon with Crispy Rice
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
For the Crispy Rice:
- 2 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil, divided
- 3 cups cold, cooked short grain rice, like sushi rice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 3 green onions
For the Salmon:
- 1 & 1/4 pounds skin-on salmon filet, cut into 4 portions
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
For Garnish:
- 2 wedges fresh lime
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- reserved sliced dark green onion tops
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
For Crispy Rice:
Pour 1 tablespoon of avocado oil onto a 9×13 rimmed sheet pan and place on lower rack of your oven. Preheat oven to 425°F.
Thinly slice green onions, separating the dark green tops for garnish.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, white and light green onion parts, 1 tablespoon avocado oil, soy sauce, and lime juice. Wet hands with cold water and mix until well combined.
Once oven is preheated, remove sheet pan and spread rice mixture into an even layer. Return pan to oven and bake for 15–20 minutes, until rice begins to crisp and turn golden around the edges.
For the Salmon:
In a small skillet, combine soy sauce, maple syrup, and Aleppo pepper. Cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat.
After rice has baked for 15–20 minutes, remove sheet pan from oven. Place salmon filets, skin-side down, on top of the rice. Spoon glaze over the salmon.
Return sheet pan to oven and bake for another 10–12 minutes, until salmon is cooked through.
Garnish with lime wedges, chopped cilantro, reserved sliced green onion tops and toasted sesame seeds.
Chef’s Notes:
It is important to start with cold, cooked rice for this recipe as it has had time to dry out and will resist clumping. It will crisp up perfectly on the hot sheet pan.
Sushi, or any short grain rice, works best for this recipe as long grain rice can dry out more quickly than it’s short grained sister. For 3 cups cooked leftover cold rice, you will need to start with 1.5 cups of dry rice.
Recipe by Salt & Serenity
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