Strawberry Basil Glazed Salmon

A sweet, savory strawberry basil glaze is the perfect way to make juicy, flavorful roasted salmon AND make the best of fresh summer strawberries while they are in their prime. Served over a bed of greens and strawberries with more of that addictive glaze for a dressing, this is a light and refreshing summer meal that feeds your body with so much goodness.

I roasted my salmon in the toaster oven … it’s so convenient and doesn’t heat up the kitchen as much as the big oven does, but if you don’t have a toaster oven and it’s too hot to turn on the oven, well then, I think you could definitely put this salmon on the grill, basted with the lovely strawberry basil glaze. Regardless of whether you grill or roast the salmon, make sure you watch it closely so it stays tender and juicy, with that perfect flake.

The strawberries have been SO beautiful this year! Big, juicy, sweet and CHEAP at the store, too. I found some on sale for 99 cents a pound. Even though I knew I was going to visit my parents soon where they’ve been picking TONS of berries every day from their strawberry bed, it was just too good of an offer to pass up. My daughter would surely help me eat them, right?

She did eat some of the berries and I ate a bunch too, but then I found myself wondering what to do with them that would be healthy AND delicious, a great way to use up a bunch of strawberries, fast.

My mind turned to salmon. I’m trying to add more salmon (and other heart healthy fish) into my diet … lucky me! I happen to have some really amazing salmon in my freezer. Could you do a strawberry glaze on salmon? I had to google it and find out if it was just me or if other people have had the same idea … and one of the recipes I found was a recipe from my good friend Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake! She did a strawberry balsamic glaze on her salmon. I didn’t want a strong vinegar flavor, really I wanted to let the flavor and the color of the fresh strawberries shine through in my sauce, so I used rice vinegar instead. Also, I added basil because have you ever tasted strawberries with fresh basil? If you haven’t, you really must. The fresh basil really adds a sublime counterpoint to these lush summer berries.

But I have to tell you some news! I’ve received a big box of wild caught salmon from Wild Alaskan Seafood Company. They contacted me, wanting to partner with my blog and offered to send me a box of their wild-caught fish. I got to choose between a salmon box and a box of mixed fish. Obviously, because I am working so hard on reducing my cholesterol (and because I love salmon SO much), there wasn’t much thought required. Salmon was definitely what I wanted!

Here’s what it looked like when it arrived – so well packaged:

It’s been SUPER hot here lately, so I was a little worried that my salmon would arrive and be destroyed on my doorstep from the heat, but they packaged it so well, there was NO risk of that happening. The salmon was definitely frozen hard, with plenty of dry ice to keep it cold for at least another day. (It was, in fact, the next day before the dry ice actually disappeared, even leaving the box OUTSIDE in the heat of the sun and opened.)

I was really pleased with the quality of the salmon. I could tell immediately from the color that Wild Alaskan only ships wild-caught, healthy salmon. They follow practices to ensure their fishing is sustainable, they flash freeze the salmon shortly after it’s caught, then ship on dry ice in an insulated box. I like that each piece is individually packaged, so I can make salmon just for me and even enjoy it in the middle of my work-day because it cooks up so quickly and easily.

How do you get some of this beautiful salmon for yourself?

You are in luck too, because Wild Alaskan has a special deal for you, my dear readers! Use my special code to get $15 off your first order. I hope you are pleased that by ordering from Wild Alaskan, you’re helping support this blog as they give me a small commission for each purchase.

There is a subscription which is super convenient for anyone trying to make sure they have good quality salmon on hand (for your heart!), and rest assured you are in complete control over what you receive, and you can cancel or pause your subscription at any time.

Click now for this Exclusive Offer!

Now, let’s get back to that recipe … the savory strawberry basil glaze is made with fresh strawberries, extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, maple syrup (or honey), dijon mustard and fresh basil. I also sprinkled in a little dried dill (because there was no fresh growing yet), but I knew dill would add something a little bit magical. The sauce has that perfect balance between sweet and savory, it keeps the fish nice and juicy as it cooks and adds a lovely tang and a bit of sweet to that pretty pink, flaky flesh. There should be extra sauce available for drizzling over the salmon and whatever you decide to serve it over. I provided my suggestions for serving in the recipe below.

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