This recipe is for salmon lovers who appreciate deep, rich flavors with a touch of smoke. For this dish, you’ll be dusting our salmon with an ancho espresso rub before roasting it to perfection.

The smoky, sweet undertones of ancho chili married with the rich, earthiness of espresso make for one of the most delicious salmon rubs imaginable.

As an added bonus, Chef Charles Webb’s dish is rich in antioxidants from the espresso, citrus, and cilantro.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

  • 2 ½  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided

  • 1 package Uncle Ben’s Brown Ready Rice

  • 1 small onion, finely chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • ½ - 1 cup vegetable broth

  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste

  • Zest of ½ of lemon

  • Zest of ½ of lime

  • 1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped

  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds

  • 4 teaspoons ancho espresso spice mix (if you cannot find this mix, you can use 2 teaspoons of ancho chili powder and 2 teaspoons of espresso powder)

  • 4 Verlasso salmon fillets, patted dry (5 oz. each)

  • Dried orange zest, for garnish

  • Cilantro leaves, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.

  3. Add in garlic, reduce the heat (to avoid burning the garlic), and cook for 1 minute while stirring.

  4. Add rice, ½ cup broth, tomato paste, lime zest, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break up the tomato paste, and stir until ingredients are well-blended. Increase heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth (1 tablespoon at a time), if needed, to keep the rice mixture moist.

  5. After 10 minutes stir in cilantro and almonds.

  6. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the ancho espresso spice mix.

  7. Coat and press the mixture onto the flesh of the salmon filets. Brush the bottom of a baking sheet with ½ tablespoon of olive oil, and place the salmon, skin-side down, on the baking sheet.

  8. Bake for 9 minutes, or up to 12 minutes for a well-done result.

  9. Assemble rice in the center of a plate with the salmon nestled on top. Garnish with dried orange zest and cilantro.

    *Cooked salmon should have an Internal temperature of 145 °F