Who has had enough turkey leftovers, raise your hand! I know I have, so today, I’m sharing a deliciously healthy salmon recipe with a fantastic blueberry balsamic sauce that’s low on calories and big on nutrition and flavor.
Buy Responsibly Farmed Salmon
The remnants of our Thanksgiving turkey were quickly devoured as sandwiches later that very evening and for lunch the next day, so we’re moving on to my incessant salmon craving. Even if wild salmon is out of season, I can always rely on Santa Monica Seafood to carry only salmon that is responsibly farmed. I purchased Scottish Salmon for this incredibly delicious sweet, savory and easy to prepare salmon with a silken blueberry balsamic sauce.
Savory Blueberry Recipes
Inspired by the Very Berry Thanksgiving Dinner that I wrote about earlier this month, I created this beautiful salmon dish to enter into the Balsamic category of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s “Blueberries Meet Their Match” Blogger Recipe Contest along with the crazy good Blueberry Persimmon Quinoa Salad with Rosemary Balsamic Vinaigrette in the Rosemary category. They’re both very approachable recipes – easy to make and contain ingredients that are readily available. If you try either of the recipes, please let me know what you think!
Blueberry Persimmon Quinoa Salad
Health Benefits of Salmon
Salmon is a key source of lean protein on a heart-healthy diet and its nutritional benefits are widely touted. Salmon health benefits include:
- Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. …
- Great Source of Protein
- High in B Vitamins
- Good Source of Potassium
- Loaded With Selenium
- Contains the antioxidant Astaxanthin
- May Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease
So let’s get to this easy Salmon with Blueberry Sauce recipe which doubles the nutritional value and flavor with the addition of sweet antioxidant-rich blueberries.
Salmon with Blueberry Balsamic Sauce

- 1 lb. fresh wild salmon skin on*
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon bourbon brown sugar*
- 1/4 c. aged balsamic vinegar
- 2 t. dried blueberries
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon butter
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Rinse the salmon. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place salmon a rimmed baking sheet sprayed with oil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon bourbon brown sugar.
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Preheat oven on Hi Broil.
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Broil the salmon for about 7 minutes for medium. Test for doneness by pressing the fish with a fork - it should barely give way and be cooked nearly all the way through. Do not overcook.
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Meanwhile, add the balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by a third. Add the blueberries and maple syrup. Cook for another minute. Stir in the tablespoon of butter.
* Fresh wild-caught salmon or salmon flash frozen at the site are preferred, otherwise, try to purchase from fish markets/counters who buy fresh/frozen farmed fish from reputable sources.
*Regular brown sugar with a dash of smoked paprika can be substituted for the Bourbon Brown Sugar fromBourbon Barrel Foods (Louisville, KY).
The challenge is to start thinking about blueberries in new & unique ways during and experiment with different flavor pairings for winter fresh and frozen blueberries. The four categories are Balsamic, Coconut, Rosemary, and Banana. Wish me luck and check out the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s site for more recipes and information on these little blue dynamos.
Hungry for more? You might also like:
Deliciously Healthy Tandoori Salmon Bowl
Double Duty Dinners: Spice-Rubbed Bristol Bay Sockeye
Edited 6/29/15 to delete information and links referring to, now defunct, Ziplist.
Meeeeze Priscilla!! Wowzeeee, I’m loving the silken blueberry balsamic sauce! I can see it used on so many things…,.hey, it’d even be great on a peanut butter sandwich!! Great stuff going on here w/the savory…you’re upping then ante on this contest, girl!! xo
Looks terrific – I entered a savory blueberry sauce as well – great minds think alike 😉
Be still my heart! You know how much I love salmon! 🙂
I’ve never had salmon with fruity sauce before but it looks and sounds very good and I have to try it out to taste it! We probably eat salmon most among all the fish, so this is actually a great alternative to our regular salmon menus!
I made this for my family… and it was AMAZING! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I can’t tell you how much everyone loved it. You are a culinary genius!
I am so happy to hear your family loved it, Kate! Thank you for letting me know – you made my my day 🙂
I actually purchased some blueberry flavored balsamic vinegar from a local business and would love to try it with the salmon. Any thoughts on how I could use it? Would it still need maple syrup? Thanks for the idea!
Hi Stephanie – Mmmmm, blueberry balsamic sounds delicious! I use a lot of flavored balsamics as glazes on their own. Taste it – most likely it will not need any additional sweetener. Sometimes they are so sweet that they benefit from an additional acid for balance – a little un-aged vinegar or citrus juice.