Grilled Salmon with Bourbon Honey Chipotle Glaze & Candied Limes

GRILLED SALMON WITH BOURBON HONEY CHIPOTLE GLAZE & CANDIED LIMES

It’s BBQ season the minute the weather is warm and we head into Memorial Day! As a personal chef, I love BBQ parties – the aromas of anything grilling on the open fire and wafting aromas in the air makes for an immediate culinary celebration.  I like to squeeze in as many BBQ parties as I can because grilling outdoors is the best part of the Spring & Summer season!

Grilled Salmon with Bourbon Honey Chipotle Glaze & Candied Limes

(This recipe serves 40-4 oz servings)

Ingredients

10 lbs of Salmon fillet, skin removed (ask your butcher for the loin part)

4 T Butter, melted

Kosher Salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Salt Salmon to taste and set aside

Melt butter in a sauce pan and drizzle on salmon

Place on grill skin side up (or on a large skillet pan and sear 2-3 minutes).

Grill Salmon for a few minutes until golden in color and has grill markings

Flip with two spatulas and grill until golden; remove and set aside

Prepare the glaze (recipe follows) and brush on top of Salmon

Place Salmon fillets on two separate baking sheets which are covered with foil (this will make clean up time easier because of the glaze)

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on serving platter.

Top with candied limes (recipe follows)

Garnish with lime slices. To make “S” shaped limes, slice limes thinly. With a paring knife, slice into the lime ½ the way up and then holding the lime with both hands gently twist the lime slice in opposite directions.

Bourbon Honey Chipotle Glaze

Ingredients

2 cups “Two Star” Bourbon

2 cups Honey

6-8 pinches Chipotle Pepper Flakes, freshly ground in spice grinder

Lime Juice from 3-4 limes

Directions

In a sauce pan on medium low heat, combine bourbon, honey, freshly ground chili powder and lime juice and whisk to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning to as spicy, sweet or citrus-y as you prefer. Reduce the mixture to a glaze.

To test the right consistency, dip a wooden spoon into the sauce and use your finger along the spoon; if the sauce stays on the spoon, it’s done. To speed up the thickening process, after 20 minutes, remove the pot and place it in a bowl with plenty of ice.

Candied Limes

Ingredients

Zest of 4 limes

1 cup Water

1 cup Sugar + more for sprinkling

*6-8 slices of lime for garnish (you can use the same limes from which you made the zest. It will have a beautiful variegated look)

Directions

Bring a small pot of water to a boil.

Blanch the lime zest in the boiling water for 2 minutes.

Drain in a colander and set aside.

Add 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to the same pot bring to a boil and then simmer.

Place the lime zest back into the pot and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.

Drain the limes on a baking sheet and allow to cool.

Coat lime zest with a dusting of sugar and store in air tight container.

(*Candied lime zest can also be frozen for future use)

 Recommended Chef Tip: Round off your menu with

Arugula Salad with Grape Tomatoes & Shaved Parmesan

Cannellini Bean Salad

Avocado & Sweet Corn Salad

Spicy Green Beans (recipe on VIP Chef Services Facebook page)

Aromatic Herbed Jasmine Rice

Buttermilk Biscuits.

These side accompaniments can all be prepared a day in advance to allow you to be a guest at your own party.