Pan-Seared Salmon with Orange-Coconut Sauce

Hello, friends!! Happy 1st of December! I hope you all had a wonderful  Thanksgiving, filled with delicious food, family & friends. I had more food than one person should during this holiday, because I celebrated it three times. Yep…three days in a row. J and I were running, running, running from Thursday to Sunday and today we are poooooped. Our house looks like a tornado ran through it, I haven’t been grocery shopping yet, and there is no food in the house. Ok, no food might be a little dramatic, but definitely not a complete, balanced meal.

I’m thankful that both my family and J’s don’t want to do the turkey and ham menu again for Christmas. Mexican food is so much more fun!

And while I know that most people love their Thanksgiving spread and over-indulge to kick of the holiday season, I also know that most people are now trying to compensate for that over-indulgence. That is why today I have for you a scrumptious, healthy salmon recipe.

Salmon is also great after a good, hard workout, so if you are hitting the gym and trying to eat healthier, this is a double winner! Triple if you factor in that it is amazingly delicious!! Seriously…orange, coconut, garlic…what else do you need to know??

• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup mirin
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp orange marmalade
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 4 (6-oz) salmon fillets
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1. For the sauce, combine orange juice through coconut milk in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a stead simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until sauce is reduced to a about ⅔ cup. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, season the salmon to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot, add the coconut oil, and swirl to coat. Add salmon (skin side down if your fillets have skin) and cook for 3 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.
4. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until salmon feels fairly firm to the touch.
5. If your salmon has the skin on, use a pair of tongs to remove it. Turn one last time just long enough to lightly sear the skin-side. Don’t overcook or it will be dry.
6. Transfer to serving plates. Heat the sauce over medium heat to warm, add the cilantro and serve over the salmon fillets with your favorite sides.