Yesterday was a gloomy day in NYC and we were in the mood for some warm comfort food. Enter, Brown Sugar Pork Chops. This super easy, super fast (20 min total) recipe is packed with flavor.

The chops were served with Brown Sugar Stewed Apples and Butternut Squash (shown underneath the chops in the photo), for which I will post the recipe in the next few days. The combination of the pork and the apples/squash was fabulous – one I definitely would recommend for anytime you need a good hearty comfort food fix.

Brown Sugar Pork Chops

Prep: 12 min / Cook:  8-12 min
makes 2 servings 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 boneless pork chops (3/4in thick)
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
• crushed red pepper, to taste (opt.)

DOING THE DISH:

I am a semi-new salmon convert. In fact, until about a year ago, I had only tried the fish once and had completely written it off. Last year, after reading about salmon’s many health benefits, I gave it another try on a whim and I have been hooked (addicted) ever since. I hate that I lived in the Northwest for three years without eating one bite of salmon while I was there. If only I had known what I was missing out on! People would get so excited about Copper River salmon season (a VERY short window), Sockeye salmon, King salmon, and on and on and on. It seemed at the time that all I ever heard about was salmon. Oh what I would give to be back in those moments and be able to savor freshly caught salmon that was cooked to perfection. Since I haven’t finished work on my time machine yet, I guess I’ll just have to settle for salmon cooked in my own kitchen. That’s not such a bad thing if you’re equipped with this recipe.

When we were at Costco recently, we discovered that not only is it the best place to buy four bottles of Worcestershire sauce or 30 pairs of socks, but their fish and meat sections are to die for. The price for two HUGE full fish-length fillets of sockeye salmon was only five dollars more than what we had paid the weekend before for two serving-size portions! So we picked a package up sliced the fillets into portion-sized servings and froze them individually and we have really been enjoying having such nice pieces of fish at the ready.

This dish is one of my favorite go-to salmon dishes. I actually make it a lot for lunch. When you look at the ingredients and read through the directions, it may seem slightly complicated, but once you have made it once or twice it becomes very easy and only takes about 12 minutes to prep and cook the dish. The great thing about it is that when served, it looks like something that took way more time and effort than 12 minutes!

In the photos, you’ll notice that there seems to be a smaller amount of everything (especially when you see the sauce) than is specified in the recipe…I was only making one portion so everything is quartered in my photos. I hope you enjoy this savory salmon!

Ginger Lime Salmon

adapted from Essentials of Healthful Cooking, Williams-Sonoma

Makes 4 Servings

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 8-10 small pieces
• 2 limes
• 4 serving-size salmon fillets, skin removed
• 4 tsp ginger, peeled and finely minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 1/4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. Prepare the limes. Use a veggie peeler to peel 4 long, wide strips of zest from one of the limes. Cut these strips lengthwise into long, skinny julienne strips. Squeeze the juice from the lime and set it aside. Cut the second lime into thin uniform slices (try to get at least 8 out of it if you can). Set the slices aside.
   
3. Prepare the salmon. Lightly dry off any excess moisture from the salmon with a paper towel. Cut a 12″x12″ square of parchment paper and lay it flat on the work surface. Place one salmon fillet in the center of the paper, and sprinkle it with about 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper, then with 1 tsp of minced ginger. Place some of the julienned lime zest across the fillet and finally top it with 2-3 evenly-spaced lime slices. Repeat with remaining 3 salmon fillets. Seal the packets by bringing together the long sides and folding them to create a seal, and then folding the sides under the salmon fillet to secure the flaps. Place all four packets on a baking sheet and place into the oven.
   

   

4. Bake the salmon. Bake the salmon until it is just barely translucent at it’s thickest point – or about 9 minutes per inch of thickness. Once done, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the salmon rest in the packets for a few minutes.
5. The sauce. While the salmon is baking, it’s time to prepare the sauce. Place the shallots, sake, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the liquid is reduced by a third (about 4 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter pieces to create a nice creamy sauce. Pour the sauce into a small bowl.
6. Assemble the final dish! There are two ways to serve this dish. The first is to place a packet on each plate and allow each person to open their “present” and then pour the sauce on themselves; or you can open each packet and use a spatula to place a fillet on each place, and then drizzle the sauce over the salmon. I prefer to go with the second method, simply because it provides a cleaner, more elegant look, but the packet-on-plate method could be nice if you wanted the cooking method to be kind of a conversation piece for the dish.