BBQ Spiced Salmon

I have mixed feelings about this recipe. While I enjoyed the flavor of the salmon, I felt that there was something missing. I baked the salmon which may be what's bothering me. Like I said, the flavor was good and I wouldn't change my spice rub, but I think I would change how I cooked the salmon. Next time, I think I would try grilling it or just putting it under the broiler to get the caramelization that I was looking for. With that said, I will give you the recipe as I did it, but maybe when you make it you can try either grilling it or putting it under the broiler. Then you can let me know how it turns out! :)

BBQ Spice Rub
-1 TBS California Chili Powder (or whatever chili powder you have on hand)
-1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
-1 tsp onion powder
-1 tsp brown sugar
-1/2 tsp ground mustard
-a heavy pinch of cayenne or chipotle powder
-a heavy pinch of salt


This amount should cover about 4 pieces of salmon, so you can double the recipe if needed. I liked the flavor of this because it had a sweet-heat taste to it, along with a smokiness from the paprika. So, if you're going to bake the fish in the oven, preheat it to 350. Then I just took 3 (obviously, use however many pieces you need) skinless pieces of salmon, drizzled them with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled the spice rub on each side, rubbing it in. Place on a sheet tray with a cooling rack over the tray and let the salmon sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to let it absorb the flavors of the spice rub. Cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes. You can check the doneness by taking a fork and flaking the thickest part of the salmon. If it comes away easily, it's done.

Something to think about...I cooked extra salmon so that I could make salmon cakes for lunch the next day. I was able to make 6 slider sized salmon cakes with about 8 or 9 ounces of fish. They're great to pack for lunch and reheat well. So, if that's something you'd want to do, you will only need one or two extra pieces of fish (depending on how many salmon cakes you want). I'm going to post that recipe as a separate blog though. Anyway, I hope you try this and if you try one of the other cooking methods that I suggested, I'd love to hear how it turned out!