Pecan-Crusted Salmon with Bacon Fat Maple Glaze
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The title says it all – this salmon is absolutely mouthwatering!
It’s hard to beat fresh wild-caught salmon. My husband adores the stuff.
And what better place to get it than from our very own Pike Place Market in Seattle? (If you haven’t already done so, check out my Virtual Tour of Pike Place Market for some history and pics of this historic world-famous market!)
We got our salmon from Pure Food Fish Market located inside of Pike Place Market. They’ve been stocking the freshest, highest quality seafood for four generations and specialize in fresh seafood of the Pacific Northwest.
We’re fortunate to live here in western Washington where we can enjoy such exquisitely fresh seafood. But for most of the land-locked U.S., fresh seafood isn’t accessible. With the ever-growing demand for the Northwest’s premium seafood, Pure Food Fish Market created the ability for seafood lovers across the United States to enjoy the freshest products possible, as if they were visiting the Seattle marketplace. Pure Food Fish Market now hand-cuts, packages and ships their seafood via overnight FedEx delivery to any location across the United States. How about that?
Even though we live close enough to buy it in person, I had some delivered to us to try out the service: As promised, it was there the next morning and the ice packs were still frozen. It was perfect and like fresh from the ocean!
They also make THE best smoked salmon!
I wish you could smell the aroma through your screen. Our kids gave my husband some serious competition for this smoked salmon – there wasn’t much left by the time they were done with it!
Let’s move on to today’s recipe.
So we got an order of this fresh king salmon from Pike Place Market and I wanted to use it immediately while it was still fresh instead of freezing it.
With this fresh salmon on hand I wanted to make Todd something really yummy with it.
Pecan-crusted was sounding really good but I wanted to bump it up a notch. We had recently had a dinner at a restaurant where the dessert featured a glaze made from bacon fat and maple syrup. (Yes, dessert. And it was fabulous). I thought that was just what this salmon needed – a bacon fat maple glaze to drizzle over the pecan-bread crumb coating.
My husband’s verdict: Magnificent. And he wants me to make it again. Soon.
Ready to make some fish?
Let’s get started! Check out my video below:
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Pecan-crusted Salmon with Bacon Fat Maple Glaze
Ingredients
- 4-6 ounce fresh salmon filets
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon oil for frying ,add more as needed
- For the Bacon Fat Maple Glaze:
- 3 tablespoons bacon fat
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (not pure maple syrup, we want the added sweetness)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly rub or spray the salmon filets with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Combine the panko breadcrumbs, pecans and parsley in a bowl and spread the mixture out on a flat wide plate. Roll each salmon filet in the mixture and sprinkle some extra on top. Spray each breaded filet with some olive oil.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the filets on each side for 1-2 minutes, starting with the skin side up.
- Transfer the filets to a baking dish and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until done.
- While the salmon is baking make the glaze: Melt the bacon fat in a small saucepan followed by the maple syrup. Simmer for about 2 minutes, be careful not to let it burn.
- Serve the salmon immediately drizzled with some of the glaze and garnished with some fresh parsley and toasted pecans.
Nutrition
Looking for more salmon recipes? Check out our Grilled Salmon with Fresh Peach Jalapeno Salsa!
Disclosure: Pure Food Fish Market sent me some salmon to sample without any obligation to write about it. The salmon was excellent and we enjoy supporting local businesses.
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This salmon was so delicious! The bacon fat adds so much flavor, as well as the pecans. Tastes like something you’d find at a gourmet restaurant. It was also quick and easy to make. Thanks for another great recipe, Kimberly. :)
Wonderful, Kim, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you! :)
This looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it.
What’s your favorite side for this dish?
What is a good substitute for bacon fat? I don’t eat bacon.
Hi Endya, bacon is the whole point of this particular recipe and the key flavor element. I would recommend finding another recipe for salmon.
I live in Olympia,WA and have been to Pike Place Market many times. Great recipe and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, Scott!
To break our travel time on our way from Virginia to Alaska we spent two days in Seattle going, and two weeks later three days returning home. Pikes Place Market was amazing. I could not get over how much fun they had tossing fish. Even though we went to a salmon bake in Fairbanks, I am not a fan of Salmon. I love seafood of all types, just not salmon. We have a seafood market here in Williamsburg where Salmon is airfreighted in and we are on the email list so we get a message the day before it arrives. Salmon is my wifes favorite.
What kind of salmon should I order for this recipe?
Hi, that looks so good and I can’t wait to try it, but I am (embarrassingly) confused by the directions to not use pure maple syrup. What kind did you use? Did you mean grade a as opposed to b? Lol surely not Aunt Jemima.
Hi Catherine, no, I don’t use Aunt Jemima because of the high fructose corn syrup :) I used a different brand without it. The sugar in the non-pure maple syrup enables to glaze to become a little caramelized and thicker. If you prefer though you can definitely use pure maple syrup and add sugar to it and simmer. It makes for a sweeter and thicker/caramelized glaze.
My hubs was in Seattle recently and won’t shut up about Pikes Place Market! Your images are gorgeous and I LOVE wild caught salmon! What a lovely dish! I can’t wait to try this.
Pike Place Market is a great place to rave about, Rose, I can’t blame him! :) Thanks so much!
Oh WOW! You definitely took salmon to the next level with this awesome recipe!!! It looks DIVINE!
Thanks so much, Cathy! :)
One, Pike Fish Market?? I’m jealous! Two, bacon fat maple glaze?? Oh.My.Gawd. Want!!
LOL, Katerina! :) Bacon just pretty much makes the world go round, doesn’t it?
I have ALWAYS wanted to visit Pike Place Market. In my role in Corporate America…years ago I taught my sales people from their Fish video and books…LOVE!!! The salmon…Holy Yummmm AND I don’t even like salmon, but I get the feeling I’d eat this right up!
Colleen, it’s so funny you mention that. The last job I had in Germany before I moved to the U.S. was the manager of a food/entertainment facility and part of my job training about great customer service included watching a video about Pike Place Market!
I’m so jealous of all that fresh fish you get on the west coast! How convenient they’ll ship it to your door as well! That makes eating healthy even easier :) Also can we talk about that topping on the fish – OMG YES! I keep a little jar of bacon fat on my kitchen counter and it’s been looking for a use. I think I found it!
Oh we’re very spoiled here for sure, Nutmeg Nanny! Thank you And YES to keeping bacon fat on hand!
I love Pike Place. I visited Seattle last year and we went to Pike Place 3 times in 6 days. It’s so cool, so much to see and do. Love this recipe. The salmon they sell there is amazing. A bunch of us bloggers had some shipped home. Then we grabbed some smoked salmon and had a hotel room salmon party, lol. This recipe is fabulous. I love crusted fish.
Thanks so much, Kim! I love the idea of a hotel room salmon party! :)