Healthy, tasty and perfect for the holiday weekend. Pair with a light red wine, like a Barbera or Pinto Noir. We like Ricossa Barbera d’Asti or a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from Adelsheim, Stoller, Gran Moraine or Winderlea.

Maple-Bourbon Salmon
The better the salmon, the better this tastes.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon (or to your taste) Siracha sauce or hot sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Bragg’s or low sodium)
2 tablespoons Italian parsley – finely chopped
3 tablespoons chives – finely chopped
3/4 cup good maple syrup
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup good quality bourbon (I use Knob Creek, but whatever you have in the house will work)
zest and juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 pound wild salmon, skinned – cut into 4 portions

Preparation:
Whisk all ingredients except salmon together in a medium bowl.  Place the salmon in a large plastic bag that can be sealed well; pour 3/4 of the marinade on top of the salmon and seal the bag.  Place in a baking dish (in case the bag breaks) and into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours…the longer the time to marinade the better, but not over about 3 hours, as you don’t want the lemon to cook the fish.  Turn your oven onto broil and remove the salmon from the marinade and place in the baking dish.  Broil for about 5-6 minutes…it doesn’t need that long as salmon is best when cooked medium rare, and broiling will allow for a few extra minutes of cooking when it comes out of the oven.  Serve with saffron rice, polenta or couscous.