Here we are coming up to Valentine’s Day and I’m still putting away my Christmas decorations…is it just me? It seems every time I think I have them all captured and stored, another one pops up; it’s like an endless sea of Santa things – they weeble and wobble but they won’t go down.
Onward.
I’ve put together an elegant and delicious weeknight meal that will take you less than 30 minutes to have on the table. If you make the reduction the night before, it will take you even less time.
This is a very adaptable sauce that you can use with virtually any protein – vegetable or otherwise. It has gentle sweet notes from the strawberry and balsamic flavours with a subtle tang from the vinegar. My sons and I enjoyed the leftover reduction over plain yogurt as a snack – scrumptious.
- 2 salmon fillets
- ½ tsp coarse black pepper
- For the Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction:
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped + more for topping
- 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 Tbsp water
- 4 Tbsp honey
- Heat oven to 400 F.
- In a small sturdy pot on stove, combine chopped strawberries, balsamic vinegar and water. Allow mixture to come to a boil and reduce by about half. Add the honey, mixing to combine and allow mixture to reduce again.
- At this stage, you can either place mixture in a small blender and mix until smooth or, as I have done, you can use a potato masher and mash the berries down to smaller but visible, chunky pieces.
- Meanwhile, lay salmon fillets on a foil lined baking pan. Sprinkle with black pepper and cook in oven for about 15 minutes, or until desired doneness is achieved.
- Place a couple of tablespoons of the reduction on plates before laying down salmon. Drizzle more of the sauce over top along with some chopped strawberries, as desired.
- If you made your reduction the night before, simply warm in a pot on stove, adding some water as necessary to achieve desired consistency upon reheating.
Leftover Reduction: You can enjoy any leftover strawberry-balsamic reduction drizzled over yogurt, with ice cream or as a substitute for jam.
This is delicious. One of our favorite recipes once strawberries arrive. Thank you so much for sharing.
You made my night MaryAnn! Thank you so much for dropping in to let me know. I’m thrilled to hear you’re enjoying. I suspect you probably have this recipe tucked away somewhere but I just converted it to the newer format with print functionality in case helpful. Have a lovely evening and cheers to strawberry season :).
Thank you so very much for your kind and generous comments Bludart and for your dedication post! How lovely to see.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed… thank you so much for taking the time to drop in and let me know.
Just beautiful and I bet it’s delicious too!
Oh man, I bookmarked this days ago and had it rattling around my brain ever since. Tried out the recipe tonight, and it.was.fantastic. So great, I had to blog about it (link below, if you wanted to check).
I’m looking forward to swirling the reduction into some yogurt for breakfast tomorrow!
http://bludart.blogspot.com/2012/04/salmon-strawberries.html
Wow this looks incredible! Thank you for sharing, just found it through pinterest :)
Great recipe! Thank you! I’ve made this twice since you posted it. Once for my boyfriend and once for my family. Now my mom wants to make it for her friends. Great pictures too!
I remember this. Looks great. I sometimes have trouble commenting on your recipes on computers other than my home computer.
I’m delighted you enjoyed the recipe and really appreciate you stopping by to let me know how it went! Thank you :)
I made this and it is perfect. The last 5 minutes of cooking I smeared some of the glaze on the fish and finished it that way in the oven.
What a nice mom! The world does work in wonderful ways… let me know how you like it if you give it a try and thanks so much for dropping by to say hello :)
Oh no… allergice to strawberries… hopefully you can substitute raspberry but if not, peach, apple, pear are all good options! Cheer Alyssa.
i kind of feel like this was made specifically for me specifically today. my mom brought me over a ton of strawberries and salmon. so thank you universe, and inspirededibles :)
What a beautiful combination of flavors…really lovely dish! I am allergic to strawberries but always find them so beautiful.
Thank you so much for your feedback! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the recipe and truly appreciate you taking the time to drop in to let me know. Thank goodness it was a hit on such a big night too! Phew… :)
Thanks so much for dropping by. You can accompany it with whatever you wish – a simple rice, asparagus or green salad might be nice.
Thanks Kristy – I have to admit, the reduction tastes pretty darn good on everything!! (I had lots of leftovers when I made it but we had no trouble using it up ;0). I think your family would enjoy… I hope you try it sometime.
Thanks so much for dropping by.
Thanks Eliot ~ they seem to go hand in hand. I hope you had a great day.
I love that combination too and you know, it works so well with the simple, soft taste of salmon… a fun way to spruce it up. Thank you Anne for your thoughtful feedback.
Thanks so much Jeanette ~ the beauty is that it’s so simple and impossible to mess up! :)
This was absolutely amazing. I made it for Valentine’s Dinner and my husband loved it! (coming from a guy that doesnt believe in having fruits on meats). Thank you for sharing!
This sounds divine and I can’t wait to give this a try! My husband is a great chef and I enjoy always trying to surprise him with new recipes so I am looking forward to seeing his reaction to this dish. What sort of sides do you serve it with though?
Oh my, oh my! This looks heavenly Kelly! While I know that Mike and I would enjoy this as a romantic dinner for two – I couldn’t deprive Miss A of this meal. You know how she feels about strawberries and balsamic. :) This meal would be an instant winner here and is definitely going to be on our table soon! Yum! Yum! Yum!
What an amazing sauce! I love something a little sweet with my salmon and this berry/balsamic mixture looks fabulous!!!
I am craving balsamic and strawberries. This combo seems to be everywhere this V-Day season. This dish looks wonderful!
Kelly…this is a beautiful dish and so wonderful at how quickly and easily it can be pulled together. I LOVE the combination of balsamic vinegar and strawberries…but have never paired strawberries with salmon. (I’m a citrus and honey girl with salmon!). But I love ALL of these components so I cannot wait to give this a try! Such a beautiful place setting and presentation, too! : )
What a beautiful and healthy dish just in time for Valentine’s Day! The strawberry balsamic reduction sounds incredible.
Thanks Angie! It’s a fun, festive combination that our whole family enjoyed :)
Thanks so much FoodJaunts – I only cook it for about 12 minutes – it’s still bright pink inside; maximum deliciousness ;0)
Thanks Joanne ;) it’s a nice combo indeed.
Oh Charles, funny man. I don’t think I could eat a living animal… that’s a little too real for me.
Never mind, we ususally have our outdoor Christmas lights out until about July (and at that point it’s like why bother to take them down; we’ll just have to put them up again in a bit ;-)
Thanks so much Caroline. Hope you’re having a great weekend.
Yay! I hope you enjoy. Thanks Lorri!
Ooh, that balsamic sounds extraordinary… perfect for this recipe I dare say :0) yes, less might do the trick. Let me know how you make out with it for dessert… ;)
Ah, Seattle… have only had the pleasure of one visit but have a head/heart full of beautiful memories… what a wonderful city.
Aww, thanks France… it’s a nice elegant option and easy to pull together on a weeknight. I hope you & J enjoy if you give it a try :)
Yeah! I hope you give it a try; it’s a refreshing twist on the more conventional preparations and quite delicious. Thanks for stopping in and welcome to Inspired Edibles.
Phew! I’m glad I’m not alone… Thanks so much for all your kind words Alyssa and for the pin love… :)
Thanks so much for the link love Judy – I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post and discovering your blog.
Ah, those pregnancy cravings… love it! Cheers Amy :)
It really is easy Nami – I love offering practical options for working families with the use of whole ingredients… I hope your family likes it if you give it a try!
Haha, thanks for your enthusiasm Stephanie (and for the pin love) :)
It does look romantic, doesn’t it?
xo
Yes, I am the queen of simplicity ;-)
Thanks Lynn! I know you love your salmon – I hope you like this version if you give it a try. The yogurt mix was a delight…
They work nicely together indeed… thanks for stopping by Claire and welcome to Inspired Edibles.
Haha, glad you like the dish Kay! Have a super weekend.
It does make a fabulous dessert sauce…. and gorgeous on chiken too… yes, you can play around with all kinds of different fruit. Thanks Elegant! :)
Thanks Yummy! Hope you’re having a great weekend.
Thanks Sissi! Any occasion to spread more love in the world is good by me ;-) It’s super easy (like most of my recipes – lol – I aim for that). Easter bunnies, eh? Well, you know what, Easter reminds me of Spring so Bring It On!! :)
Thanks so much Pola – it really gives the salmon a whole new life ;-) I hope you enjoy it if you try.
Haha, I’m with you, better things to do during an evening of romance… ;-) Thanks Linda!
Thanks so much for dropping by; I appreciate your feedback.
Legend has it that balsamic brings out the flavour in strawberries ~ I think it’s a marriage made in heaven ;-) Thanks Asmita!
Thanks so much Nicole… always a bit tricky to photograph these things but I’m glad you like :) – thanks for stopping in.
An imagination is a powerful and beautiful thing ~
Strawberry and salmon…what an unique combination of flavours. Looks really tempting.
Ooo – strawberries and balsamic, that’s such a great combo. That salmon looks perfect underneath the sauce.
Now this is SO what I would want on V-Day! I love strawberry balsamic anything.
Ha, I was at some place yesterday and they still had their Christmas tree up… I was like “come on people… mid way through February almost…!”
You’ll have to excuse me because I just watched some Bear Grylls “man vs wild” show on TV and he was in Alaska, eating still living salmon fresh out of the water like some sort of animal (well, at least he lives up to his first name), so I’m feeling a little off salmon right now, but once I’ve recovered from the shock of the TV show this sounds like a fantastic dish to try. I can’t imagine what sort of flavour combination it would be – strawberries and salmon together. I bet they provide a beautiful, light tartness to cut through the slight fattiness of the fish – beautiful, thanks for sharing Kelly :)
Sinful!! Don’t know how else to describe this. Sounds fantastic, Kelly. x
This looks amazing! I think I’ve found my Valentine’s dinner. Can’t wait to try it!
What a beautiful weeknight meal, Kelly. We eat salmon about three times per month, I just love it. JT gave me a bottle of 100 year old balsamic for Christmas…it’s already really thick, so I think just a few drops would work well. I love it paired with strawberries (I’m using it for a Valentine dessert on the weekend!).
We get so much fresh salmon here in Seattle so I am always collecting new recipes. This one looks totally fantastic!
Absolutely gorgeous Kelly. I can see my husband and I having this for Valentine’s and having a romantic evening. The suggestion of having it with yogurt however sounds equally divine.
never thought strawberry would go well with fish. how inspiring! I have some salmon stashed in the freezer and was looking for recipes, now have to get some strawberries.
It’s not just you with the christmas stuff…we may or may not still have a christmas wreath on our door :) I love this for a healthy valentine’s meal! Salmon pairs so well with fruits and I just love any kind of balsamic reduction. Great recipe, another one to Pinterest!!!
Hi, found your blog recently and have enjoyed your posts very much. I included this gem in my Valentine Feature Friday at Savoring Today.
I love salmon and this is beautiful. I would never have thought to put salmon and strawberries together. I can’t wait to try this. I have been craving salmon lately.
This is absolutely amazing and I’ll be trying. We have lots of strawberries and my family love and eat salmon most. This is actually incredibly easy recipe and my kids will probably request every time we cook salmon after I try this… Thank you for this recipe Kelly! I’m so excited to try this very soon!
Oh my gosh, I NEED to try this one! We have a ton of salmon right now too. Pinning this one!
Kelly, I swear, this looks darn AMAZING and So Romantic.
The colours. The presentation. And I could eat salmon every single day the rest of my days. Xxx KISS. Xxxx
My Inner Chick
http://myinnerchick.com
This sounds absolutely delicious, and I love how few ingredients there are! I bet the reduction would make a great salad dressing too :)
This looks great! Justement… had salmon in freezer and was wondering about what kind of topping… I usually coat it with dijon mustard but I need a change. I love the strawberries for Valentine’s. I also love the yogurt idea!
Thanks
Lynn
LOVE love love the flavors in this. I bet the strawberries are a really great balance with the balsamic!
Oh my… Yes I am drooling over here just looking at that beautiful salmon and how you cooked it. You already know I will be making this in the future Kelly :)
Wow, what an AMAZING flavor combo you have here. I love balsamic and strawberries together.. I eat that for dessert sometimes! I bet this would be good with other berries too!!
What a great dinner for Valentine’s. Love the strawberry balsamic reduction. Nice touch.
Kelly, this is a perfect dish for St Valentine’s Day (not that I really celebrate it… it’s quite recently popular here). It looks gorgeous and must have a very sophisticated and complex taste. I would have never thought of combining salmon and strawberries, but you are the queen of surprising combinations.
I do however know how balsamic vinegar tastes with strawberries and I start dreaming of strawberries now… The sauce sounds so simple and easy. I must try it one day.
Talking about Christmas and other celebrations. I went out shopping today and my local supermarket has started to sell… Easter bunnies in chocolate!!! Ok, they are on sales (probably from last year) but I was a bit shocked.
That reduction look delicious. And I can only imagine how well it pairs with salmon! Very classy!
wait a minute… aren’t you vegan young lady?!! ;-)
Oh so pretty and perfect for Valentine’s !!! I’ve had strawberries in balsamic so I’m very familiar with the tast – which I do love!! This is really a great dish and love that it can be pulled together quickly cuz who wants to spend alot of time in the kitchen for a romantic dinner!!
the strawberry reduction looks fabulous! mmm i like to cook my salmon at 350 degrees for the first 15 minutes and then at broil for 5 more minutes to give it a crispy texture!
This looks both beautiful and delicious, perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Love salmon and the combination of strawberries with balsamic vinegar. I would never have thought to put these two together. It looks amazing. I will have to try this out. Looks great!!!
Wow…this looks wonderful!
I’m trying to imagine it, such an interesting mix of sweet and savoury!