Eileen's Maple and Orange Salmon

A couple of nights ago, the night before my first exam, I had the night to myself. I thought I would take advantage of that and cook something that a) contained lots of brain enriching omega oils and b) that my boyfriend doesn't eat, so I can't cook for him. That's right, you may have guessed... FISH!

I love fish, I think it is underrated. One of my absolute favourite things to eat will always be fresh sea food, which is why one day I am convinced I will live by the sea, be it abroad or in Scotland.
So, considering I was cooking for my lonesome, I wanted an easy but still tasty recipe. Sometimes it's  hard finding the inspiration to spend hours creating something magnificent if you don't have someone to share it with.
The recipe that sprang to mind is (just like the previously posted 'Granny's pasta mince') a family favourite, invented - as far as I am aware - by our beautiful late friend, Eileen. So I have her to thank for this, and my mum for making sure I wrote it down in my recipe book.
Having met Eileen when me and my family lived in Canada, her 'Maple and Orange Salmon' is a fitting tribute to her. Easy to make, inexpensive, delicious, and combining amazing flavours, this is a great recipe for fish lovers which requires hardly any effort at all.

Ingredients - for the marinade of two salmon fillets

• 2 salmon fillets
• 4 tbsp of fresh orange juice
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed 

1. What you have to do, is put your salmon fillets in a leak-proof sealable plastic bag, or a dish that preferably has a lid, then put all of your other ingredients in over the salmon, mixing slightly until they are combined. 
2. You want to leave your salmon marinading for as long as possible, preferably over four hours, in the fridge. However, if you can only leave it for an hour or so before you get too hungry, don't worry, it will still taste great. 
3. Once the salmon has marinaded, cook how you will. You can BBQ, grill, oven bake or pan fry this fish. I pan fried mine, purely for convenience... and because the communal oven in my halls isn't that pretty. If you are also doing so, you want to place your salmon skin side down in a hot pan. Leave it until you can see that about one third has turned solid, light pink, then flip it over and cook until it is solid pink all the way through. Adding a little of the marinade to the pan makes the salmon sticky and sweet, which is lovely.
4. I served mine on a bed of brown rice, with soy sauce and salad, but it would be equally good mixed into stir fry vegetables, with cold salads at a BBQ... or with whatever side you want really. 

It really is that easy, and it's delicious. If you're cooking for one, freeze the other salmon fillet for another time. If your cooking for a large number, simply work by the rule that it's 2tbsp of OJ and syrup, and 1tbsp of soy sauce per fillet. This can be enjoyed at any time of year and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a different, easy way to cook salmon. 

These past few days have been full of studying in preparation for Wednesday, when I have the pleasure of two exams in the one day. I do however have a great chicken recipe for you guys which I cooked last night, as well as another review of somewhere that may just become a favourite haunt, more to come in the next couple of days.

For now though, I am cooking a weekend treat of bacon and egg sandwiches for our lazy breakfast/lunch. Today will consist of revising and perhaps making another lemon and poppyseed cake, which Calum demands is 'just for him'... well, at least it must be good!

I hope everyone is having a great Saturday, and perhaps try this recipe out as a really easy but tasty family meal tonight! 

Here is a picture of two sleepy lions that I took in Edinburgh Zoo. I hope your Saturday is as lazy as theirs. 

Lindsay x