Dijon Blood Orange Marinated Salmon

I needed to create another citrus recipe while the season is hot using one of my favorite citrus fruits: the blood orange. Oranges in general are delicious, but there is something so pretty about blood oranges and they always catch people's eye with their distinctive hue.  I do not find the flavor a lot different than a basic orange besides a touch more tartness and slight bitter quality. 

Salmon is not a fish that comes to our table often. I love it, but Ron is not a big fan. He will eat it and always says he likes it, but it never seems tacky to his taste, as they say. However, I was determined that he would like this recipe. Kellen always enjoys salmon when I make it, and calls it "pink fish". Adorable.  I really like the flavor of dijon and orange together (to be fair I like dijon with everything) and knew it would make a killer marinade for the salmon. I like to marinate my salmon for at least 8 hours to make sure that all of the flavors get into the fish before cooking. However, if you are crunched for time to what you can for marinating time, but add a bit extra over the top for baking. I opted to bake the salmon with a few fresh orange slices over the top to get even more of the fresh citrus flavor. I finished the salmon under the broiler because I love the caramelization on the oranges and the slight char it gives to the salmon. I serve my salmon medium-rare to medium. If you like your salmon at a different temp you can simply adjust the cooking time. 

How did the salmon do with Ron and Kellen? Fantastic. Ron liked it a lot and Kellen finished his plate of "pink fish". I was so happy that they flavor of the mustard and citrus were bright and distinctive.  This would also be a fantastic marinade for chicken or pork tenderloin if you are not a lover of "pink fish". 

Tonight, my friend Emily is coming over for our Law and Order: SVU watch party. I am trying out a new recipe for a cooking challenge using quinoa and lemongrass- hoping for delicious results! 

Ingredients

Zest of 1 blood orange

Juice of three blood oranges

1 tsp sriracha 

1 1/2 Tbl Dijon mustard

One clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 lb salmon fillet

1/2 tsp salt

4-6 very thin round blood orange slices

Instructions

Whisk together zest, juice, sriracha, mustard, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Place salmon fillet into a large resealable bag. Pour in the orange marinade, press out the air and seal. Toss the fish gently to coat in the marinate. Place the bag on a plate in the fridge and allow fish to marinate about 8 hours. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 8x8 baking dish with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray or a bit of olive oil. Remove the salmon from the bag and place in the baking dish. Place blood orange slices evenly over the salmon. Spoon a bit of the marinade over the salmon. Discard remaining marinade. 

Bake salmon 15-17 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil salmon 1-2 minutes to allow the oranges to slightly char and caramelize. Remove from the oven, slice into individual servings and serve.