Sweet Orange Salmon

I'll confess I am not a big fan of salmon. I know it's one of the healthiest fish to eat, but I've always had problems with its texture and sometimes strong flavor. I'm rethinking things after this delicious recipe. I asked the fishmonger for his mildest salmon and he gave me some Pacific farmed fish. Tried this sweet spicy rub on it and was blown away. Nice amount of heat and attitude to stand up to the assertive flavor of the fish. A serving of simply blanched green beans on the side and I had a meal to remember.

Sweet Orange Salmon
Adapted from Cooking Light.
(They suggest that the spice rub would be good on pork tenderloin medallions as well.)
Makes four servings.

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika (I used smoked Spanish sweet paprika for even more flavor.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander (I didn't have any so left it out. Will try adding in next time.)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
Cooking spray

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of salmon fillets. Place salmon on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil for two minutes, making sure spice rub does not brown too quickly. Remove from broiler, turn oven down to 400 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes, or until you can flake fish easily with a fork. Serve immediately.

Wine Pairing: I'm a big fan of Crios de Susanna Balbo. The winery's Syrah Bonarda blend is my go-to wine for rich meat dishes like this. So I decided to try their Rosé of Malbec. It's another hit with me. Has the characteristic tang of strawberries, but with less sweetness and more spice than other "pink" wines. It was not the perfect match with the assertive spice of the salmon, but did better than it should have. Definitely worth a try, especially given its less than $15 price tag.