one skillet apple cider glazed salmon and butternut squash pilaf
One of my oldest recipes with some injections of photographic Botox and a bit of a facelift. Looking spiffy, right?
For some reason ya’ll absolutely adore this antiquated gem of mine – I guess the Pinterest algorithm favors its appearance since I’ve seen MANY iterations over the past five years. Yep, that bad boy is from 2020. 2020! Probably during the COVID-induced lockdown which ultimately birthed FMG as it is today.
So yes, today’s recipe has some sentiment. Whenever someone tags me with a photo of their creation and a kind comment about how tasty it is, I think I internally and externally blush a little. And recently? My mind returned to its revamping because it is SO worth a second look.
I’m loving how it turned out and can’t wait for you guys to try this beauty.
Our new and improved glazed salmon features a one-skillet development instead of baked filets and classic rice pilaf instead of quinoa. Otherwise, the shifts are minimal because the classic really was close to perfect. Just a couple alterations, really, some pinching and poking, but no drastic embellishments. If anything, this version is far easier and involves less cleanup.
And yes, I am aware that you need a small saucepot to make the glaze. One tiny additional dish. If you’re going to crawl up my ass about this then please show yourself to the exit. Which is my ass. You’re welcome.
Maple, Eh?
The glaze is nothing to freak over despite the aforementioned sauce pot. If you’re going to be a shit stickler over it, just skip this step and spare me the drudgework of listening to your maw wobble.
To make, simple stir together some apple cider, maple syrup, soy sauce, and fresh thyme and simmer for 8-10 minutes until thick and drizzly. The texture should resemble a balsamic glaze, or, if you’re unfamiliar with that condiment, will coat the back of a spoon with minimal drippage. Push the saucepot off the burner and let it cool while you prep the one skillet dinner.
Deez (Butter)Nuts
Now, to the main squeeze.
The salmon first gets crisped up in a lightly spiced flour dredge. Make sure your filets are very dry before you start: wet salmon will not crisp, it’ll just get sad and weird. Like a moody grunge child.
On a plate, combine flour with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and some salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in your choice skillet until nice and sizzly (but not smoking).
Dredge both sides of the salmon and place skin-side down in the skillet. If there’s no skin on your fish, just use the side that would have the skin. Sear 4-5 minutes, flip, then cook an additional 3-4. I usually have to gently press the salmon flesh into the pan near the tail-end and head-end to ensure every part of the surface gets at least a little crisping.
Move the finished salmons onto a plate. I like to give them a little preliminary brushing with the glaze here.
Next, toss in some butter and stir in shallot, garlic, and Italian seasoning until fragrant, then dump in your butternut squash cubes and rice. For the squash, I bought pre-diced this time because I’m a fucking lazy ass and would rather not lose a finger from my dull-ass knives, but you can skin and chop your own squash as you’d like.
And, I mean, if you want to mill your own rice, more power to you.
Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Watch the heat level here to ensure it doesn’t bubble and boil too much else shit will burn. Cook until the rice and squash are soft, about 15 minutes or so. You will likely need to top off the broth every so often to avoid burning.
When the rice is nice and cooked through, stir in chopped Tuscan kale and a bit of parmesan. You can take or leave the cheese, I just had some in my fridge and figured why the fuck not.
I love a bit of crispy rosemary as a garnish if I’ve got the time (just melt a spoonful of butter in a pan and toss in a few sprigs for a minute or two until golden) and will usually roast or steam a choice vegetable for some green. Right now I’m really into green beans! A little hunk of baguette doesn’t hurt either.
I hope you love this version as much as you clearly have the original. I’m very inspired to revisit and simplify some old dishes and would love to hear which ones you’d like to see brought from the graveyard. It is spooky season, after all.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
One skillet, two skillet, three skillet, four? Nah.
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one skillet apple cider glazed salmon and butternut squash pilaf
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup apple cider
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 1/2 lb salmon
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup butternut squash cubes
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups Tuscan kale, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the apple cider, maple syrup, soy sauce, and thyme. Bring to a simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened and reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Slice the salmon into filets as needed. Pat the salmon filets very dry with paper towels. On a plate, toss together the flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge both sides of each salmon filet in the flour and spice mixture and place skin-side down (or, if using skinless, whichever side would have the skin) in the skillet. Sear 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook 3-4 minutes longer until crispy and golden. Move to a clean plate and set aside.
- Add the butter to the pan and swirl until melted. Toss in the shallot, garlic, and Italian seasoning for 60 seconds or so until fragrant, then stir in the butternut squash and rice. Pour in 4 cups of broth and bring to a simmer. It should not be a rolling boil so monitor your heat here!
- Cook the rice, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes until soft. Add broth 1/2 cup at a time as needed to keep the rice moist and simmery. When the rice is cooked nicely, stir in the kale and parmesan. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Nestle the salmon filets back into the pan, brush with maple glaze, and heat until warmed through.
- Serve the salmon and pilaf with the remaining apple cider glaze and fresh herbs, as desired.
