Maple-Glazed Salmon

Maple-Glazed Salmon
Reprinted with permission from 'Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America' by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly © 2025 by Sean Sherman. Photographs copyright © 2025 by David Alvarado. Illustrations copyright © 2025 by Jimmy Dean Horn Jr. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Yields 4 Servings
AuthorSean Sherman

Salmon is a sacred food for Indigenous peoples in the Columbia Plateau, just as it is for people near the coast. While maple trees are not native in the region, bigleaf maple trees grow not too much farther west. Syrup from this Western maple is deep in flavor with molasses-like notes. If you can find it, use it in this glaze, which is enlivened with vinegar and sumac, but any maple syrup will work well.

 

This recipe comes from chef Sean Sherman’s new cookbook, Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America. Buy the book here. It can also be found in the article “These Are the Best Wines to Drink This Winter.”


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Ingredients

 1 skin-on wild salmon fillet (1 1/2 lbs.)
 ¼ cup maple syrup
 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
 2 tsp sunflower oil
 1 tsp ground sumac
 ½ tsp onion powder
 sea salt
Nutrition Facts

4 servings

Serving size

How to Make It

1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Note: To line the pan, you can use parchment, but if you’d like a more richly browned salmon, line the pan with foil so that you can finish it under the broiler.

2

Place the salmon on the pan skin-side down. Feel for any remaining pin bones and use tweezers to extract them as needed.

3

In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, vinegar, oil, sumac, and onion powder. Use this glaze to brush the fish, then season well with sea salt.

4

Bake for 5 minutes, then brush again with the glaze. Continue baking for about 5 minutes longer, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145°F, depending on the thickness of the fillet. (If the fish was frozen previously, you can cook it slightly less if you prefer salmon cooked to medium.)

5

If you’d like a bit more caramelization, broil the fish on high heat for 1 to 3 minutes.

6

Let the fish rest for a few minutes, then cut into portions and serve, accompanied by cooked camas, if desired.

Ingredients

 1 skin-on wild salmon fillet (1 1/2 lbs.)
 ¼ cup maple syrup
 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
 2 tsp sunflower oil
 1 tsp ground sumac
 ½ tsp onion powder
 sea salt
Maple-Glazed Salmon
IngredientsDirections

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