Grilled Orange and Bourbon Salmon
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With a name like “Grilled Orange-and-Bourbon Salmon” how could I not try this Cooking Light recipe? And I’m glad I did; it’s terrific. In fact, I prepared this recipe several times this summer — with both salmon and Arctic Char, of course — to test it out for a Cape Cod family vacation dinner-for-16 (yes, cooking dinner for 16 in an only-ok-equipped rental cottage should not be part of anyone’s vacation – but somehow it is for me!)
Here’s what’s great about this recipe: it’s easy to make in general and for a crowd, it’s flavorful, and is a healthy choice. All 16 at our family dinner liked it – believable because there was none left!
Here’s what’s not so great about this recipe: it takes a lot of time to prepare the marinade – especially if you are doubling or tripling the marinade. There are oranges and lemons to juice and scallions, chives and garlic to chop. That might not sound like a lot (and it’s not difficult), but trust me, you need 45 minutes to 1 hour to prep this marinade. Just letting you know.
You can easily print the PDF from my Going Lo-Co Recipes page or grab the PDF here: Grilled Orange-and-Bourbon Salmon. Oh, and some of the Cooking Light reviews suggested saving the marinade and cooking it down into a glaze which is likely delicious, though I didn’t try it but plan to, next time.
Now if you’re like me and are more of a vodka and wine person versus a bourbon person (OK, truth, I know not one thing about bourbon) there’s the liquor store to visit. Where they might sell you Jack Daniels – which may or may not technically be bourbon. Sigh. Twice I made this recipe with Jack because that’s what my liquor store guy sold me – and then when I made it at Cape Cod, I made it with Jim Beam bourbon (I know that’s bourbon because it’s printed on the label, LOL). While I preferred it made with Jim Beam, that might just be because I’d had a lot of wine by the time I finished all the chopping for the triple version of this recipe!
Since this whisky vs bourbon thing was kind of a big part of my experience with this recipe, I was going to include information about whisky vs bourbon but all the sites I visited to learn the difference between bourbon and whisky require you to enter your birthdate, so that would likely lead to broken links. Topline, bourbon appears to be somewhat sweeter as legally it must be made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn (bourbon/whisky people, if I’m wrong, feel free to correct me!). If you care for more details than that, search for bourbon vs whisky and research away. If you don’t care but want to try this recipe, go to a liquor store and get a small bottle of Jack or Jim – they’ll both be fine!
As for fish, I liked this with both salmon and Arctic Char, so take your pick. But do try it – especially now with the summer winding down – making this recipe in September will give you the opportunity to swill a bit of warming bourbon while grilling!
