fish

It’s Memorial Day Weekend! Spring is in full effect with the rising temperatures, which means summer is right around the corner. While cookouts might be the obvious culinary choice for celebrating the holiday, others might want an alternative that doesn’t necessarily involve standing in the sweltering sun over a flaming grill. To each their own.

After you’ve enjoyed your outdoor activities or had enough binging of your favorite Netflix series, you might want to head indoors for a nice gathering in your living room or common area. What can you serve that’s healthy, delicious, and instantly tastes like spring? Salmon. But not just any kind of salmon. Baked Pineapple Salmon. I found this gem while scrolling my timeline on Facebook courtesy of Delish. I’m telling you those food videos are super effective. Immediately, you find yourself going down a rabbit-hole (thanks to the autoplay feature), and next thing you know, it’s 10PM and you still watching other people eat.

Growing up, I was the only one who liked fish. So eating salmon or shrimp was only accessible at restaurants or dinner at a friend’s house. It was a luxury so rare that you had to hop on any opportunity that swam to shore. After watching that video, I had to try it out. Let me tell you. This fish is SLAMMIN’! The first time I made it, I had my best friend be my taste-taster. To this day, he ranks it as one of my best meals. I promise you. This will be your new “get ‘em girl (or boy).” Make this for your boo when they come over, and they’ll be in awe.

The directions are super easy to follow with very little prep. Here are my quick tips:

1. Salmon can be expensive! No wonder my family never cooks fish. The recipe calls for about 3 lbs. I purchased 2 pounds because that was within my budget. Check and see when your butcher has deals on salmon fillets, or you can be adventurous and try this recipe with a different, cheaper kind of fish.
2. Instead of mincing ginger, I bought ginger puree. I’m obsessed with it! This will help save you a little time, and it will last in your fridge for a couple months.
3. Let me tell you a secret. I don’t know how the hell broiling works, haha! I researched to figure out which setting to use—low or high. When I was broiling, I had it set on high and just watched it like a hawk!
4. This fish is bomb, but I’m a big boy and needed a supplement. So, I made some jasmine rice with green onion and a couple dashes of sesame oil and soy sauce (light and dark) as a side. If you have a rice cooker, you simply follow the instructions as listed on your rice package. I made 2 cups rice and used 3 cups of water.

Once the salmon is done and fresh out the oven, serve in your finest bowl over a bed of rice. Pop a bottle of wine and enjoy! It’s like a vacation in your mouth.