Chipotle Orange Glazed Salmon is an easy seafood recipe ready in 20 minutes! Fish is cooked in a sweet and spicy thick sauce. Gluten free and a fun twist for tacos, ramen, or with vegetables. #salmon
Whisk the orange marmalade, orange zest, orange juice vinegar, diced chipotles in adobo, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Put the water and sugar in a medium pot over medium high heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a light straw color. Approximately 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and continue cooking the syrup until it is an amber color, approximately 1-2 minutes more. Swirl the pot occasionally. (If you have a thermometer, the sugar will read between 360 and 370°F).
Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the orange mixture. It will bubble and steam, and the sugar will harden.
Put the pot back on the heat, change the heat to medium, and cook, whisking constantly, until the hard sugar has dissolved and the sauce is thicker, approximately 2-4 minutes.
Remove the glaze from the heat and set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat.
Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Swirl and warm the oil. Place the salmon steaks in the skillet, skin side up (flesh side down) and cook until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
Flip the salmon and reduce heat to medium. Cook until the fish is translucent in the middle (check with a knife) and registers 125°F for medium rare, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Spoon some of the glaze over the salmon. Serve immediately with the rest of the glaze and other sides.
Notes
Want to cut back on the sugar? You can easily turn this into a sauce instead of a glaze. Simply skip the sugar water in step 2 and just thicken the chipotle orange sauce mixture slightly over medium heat. It will be thin, so if you want it thicker, add a tablespoon of cornstarch.A portion of salmon is considered to be just 3-4 ounces since it is heavier than other fish. Use portion sizes as you prefer and adjust cooking time accordingly.