If you’ve ever had salmon at a restaurant and wondered a. how they got that delicious gorgeous golden brown crust on the outside or b. why it tastes so much better than the salmon you make at home, here is your answer: it probably had sugar on it. Carmelized salmon is a really popular option at a lot of chain and local restaurants and it is delicious, but if you are trying to avoid refined sugar it can be a problem.

I hardly ever use coconut sugar because I try to really limit my sugar intake and it is not as good of an option as honey or maple syrup in most cases, but there are just some recipes where a crystallized sugar replacement is a necessity and this is one of them. That being said, coconut sugar is not well tolerated by everyone. Coconut sugar is very high in inulin fiber, which is very hard for FODMAP sensitive people to digest.

That being said, I have very few issues with High FODMAP foods and have never had an issue with coconut sugar when used occasionally.

I hope that it goes without saying, that this is not the healthiest way to prepare salmon, but it is delicious and it is a great recipe to pull out when you are entertaining guests or looking for something special. I hope you all enjoy it!

Caramelized Salmon (AIP/Paleo)

Ingredients:

¼ cup coconut sugar

1 TBS sea salt

Dash of black pepper (optional)

2 Salmon Filets

2 TBS Olive oil

Directions:

In a small bowl combine your coconut sugar, sea salt, and pepper. Add your olive oil to a medium skillet and heat over medium heat. Take your salmon fillets and apply your spice rub evenly all over. When your oil is hot place your fillets in the pan cooking about two minutes on each side or until flaky and fully cooked. Enjoy.