Even with its unexpected origin, Pomegranate Glazed Salmon will surprise you with its tastiness… and its story!
Happy New Year! I don't think I've had the opportunity to personally say that to you yet. Are you part of what seems to be the majority of people who are super happy that 2016 is in the rear-view mirror? I am definitely part of that camp. I was so optimistic about 2016, but it definitely didn't go as planned.
Now, though, we move forward into 2017. I always want to know everyone's hopes and goals for the coming year. So what are yours?
As always, I'm looking forward to meeting cool people, learning interesting stuff, eating incredible food, laughing uncontrollably, and growing as a person – always looking to improve myself. I realize that my expectations are mostly vague broad strokes, but it's my starting point.
One thing I can tell you about this year is that I have decided that I need to come up with a strategy to avoid getting wrapped up in news headlines that would have caused a reflexive gut reaction in the past.
It's not a secret that I was not in favor of Trump being elected, but it did happen and that's the world we live in. It's time now, as President Obama has indicated, that we all rally behind the new president and help him to shape the world in a way that is good for everyone. Donald is really talented at grabbing headlines and at eliciting an emotional response with his word-choices.
I've mentioned in the past that I tend not to follow the news too closely, and the reason is that I become too emotionally invested. In a way that results in me becoming anxious with low energy and mood. It affects my motivation to be productive and creative and active. Which in turn affects my ability to spread the love and joy that I want.
So what I have decided is that when I do catch the news on CBC radio, I will not react with my immediate gut response but instead take a second to respond rationally. And then rather than talking about all the crazy things going on, choosing to spread my own energy. Like through food-love!
In fact, let me tell you about this recipe. Pomegranate Glaze Salmon was actually born out of a hilarious conversation with some fellow food bloggers. Have you ever read some of the comments that people leave in response to posted recipes? They can be an endless source of entertainment -or they can really irk you if you're in the wrong head-space. Which I understand because these recipes are our creations, our babies, and when someone says something less than flattering, it can be hard to hear (“Hey your kid keeps peeing in the plant in the corner!” “Your son's breath smells like cat turds!” “Your daughter's parents are doodie-heads! Oh, and your epidermis is showing…”).
So when someone leaves a poor review about your recipe after they have substituted all of the key ingredients, such as when someone uses fish and pomegranate juice in a lemon garlic chicken recipe (no, really, you have to read them), well, the responses can go many ways. And my response was, “Pomegranate and fish didn't work for him? He must have done something wrong! Let me try!”
And here we are: Pomegranate Glazed Salmon. The right way. (I still need to try Jennifer's Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken as written….)
This year, I want to be a shining star, puking out laughter, entertaining you, motivating us both, and smiling my genuine smile. What's in store for you this year? Other than Pomegranate Glazed Salmon, of course.

Pomegranate Glazed Salmon
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Yield: 1 lb 1x
Ingredients
Glaze
- 3 cups pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
Salmon
- 1 lb wild salmon fillet
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Glaze
- Simmer pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 60-75 minutes.
- Stir every 10-15 minutes.
- Liquid should reduce down to about 1/3-1/4 original volume (about a cup), and should be of thicker than syrup but not quite as thick as molasses (will coat the back of the spoon). *This should produce enough to coat two 1 lb salmon fillets.
- Remove from heat (it will continue to thicken).
Salmon
- Place filet into baking dish, top with half of sauce, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 15-60 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 400F.
- Spoon sauce that has dripped to the sides of the dish back on top of the salmon (ahhhh yeeeaahh, look at that!).
- Place in oven for 17-30 minutes (depending on thickness of filet). Fish will be cooked when meat flakes apart easily with a fork.
- Brush on another coat of the glaze and serve with extra sauce as desired.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 25 mins
does that mean i can substitute lemon, garlic, and chicken in this recipe? he he he
okay..on a serious note how about pomegranate syrup? I have a bottle that needs to be used 🙂
Congratulations Dixya!
I was wondering who would be the first to ask about chicken!
This syrup you speak of: I assume it’s already thickened, so you could probably just mix in the other ingredients and then pour over the salmon as indicated.
Happy New Year!
Oooo that is super fun! My girls are CRAZY for salmon – they would love this for dinner! Thank you!
Awesome! I love salmon too! Enjoy the recipe, let us know how it goes!
LOL love how this all came about. It’s so funny how readers can change up so many ingredients and think the recipe should still be perfect. Love salmon by the way, I bet this is yummy!
Haha, thanks Emily! Glad that made you laugh!
Yes!!!! Followed that whole thread. Hilarious. This looks great btw!
Haha,
Good times. One of the few things on facebook that I will always giggle about when I think about it.
Seriously, I LOVE that you did this. That original comment had me laughing for months, but I have to hand it to you to make a recipe that looks pretty freakin good from it!
Haha, thanks Michele!
I need to make this fish this weekend! That glaze looks amazing.
I thought the lemon and pomegranate was a great combination. Let me know what you think.
I love salmon and this pomegranate glazed salmon sounds and looks delicious !!
This looks lovely and simple to make 🙂 Love pomegranate.
What a creative dish that I’m sure tastes incredible! That glaze looks so good!
I avoid the news, too! Especially lately, I just can’t handle it and keep my mood intact. Also, this salmon looks delicious! Love the story of how it originated.
Thanks Becky!
Do you have a strategy other than news avoidance?
This salmon has a beautiful pink color along with being delicious and nutritious!
Wow! This is an amazing salmon recipe, I must have this soon. Nice job!
Oh yes, I also avoid the news if at all possible! And…..Wow! What a simple and out of the box glaze for salmon!
I love how simple this recipe is, just a perfect combination of quality ingredients!
Sorry, this one just didn’t work for me. I made it just like you said, except with ground beef instead of salmon, and lemonade instead of pomegranate…
JK!
Hahaha that thread had me DYING laughing a few years ago. Thank you for bringing it back!
By the way, this recipe looks so delicious! Cant wait to try it!
Lmao… Yeah, best Facebook conversation of all time!
Ground beef and lemonade huh? That feels like my next challenge!
OMG if you can make that happen I will be in total awe
Seems like a summery thing. I’ll get back to you in a couple months.
Someone will probably make a substitution in that and it’ll all circle back to the original Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe….