Barbecue Salmon and Garlic Sautéed Spinach

My favorite meal at any restaurant ever is barbecue salmon from Capers in Kennesaw, Georgia. My family has been going there for over ten years and nine times out of ten, the salmon is what I order. Ten times out of ten, my mother orders the grouper salad with the sauce on the side and ten times out of ten, my dad comments that she needs to branch out. They are adorable.

Capers serves the salmon with creamed corn and wasabi mashed potatoes that make me so happy and take me back to my 18th birthday surprise party, senior year homecoming, senior superlative luncheon, my dad's company holiday parties (all of these were spent with Capers food). When I'm 12 hours away from getting that feeling, I make my own, clean version. It ain't Chef Steven's salmon, but it'll do :)

Barbecue Salmon (Recipe by Louisa Clements)

Ingredients

• 1 lb salmon fillet, skin on
• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup molasses
• ⅓ cup worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, bring all ingredients except the salmon to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from stove and allow to cool (Try to have some self-control and not eat this with a spoon....I didn't).
2. Cover salmon with ¼ cup of the sauce, and allow to marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
3. Preheat the grill to medium-low heat.
4. Place salmon, skin side down on the hot grill, cook for 10-12 minutes without moving the salmon. The skin on the under side of the salmon will burn - but we want that. Once the salmon is done cooking on one side, and the skin is blackened, carefully flip it over and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until fully cooked. Remove from grill, and allow to cool before peeling off burned skin. It should come off easily, and underneath will be the salmon fillet perfectly cooked.

***You can also bake these little friends at 475 for about 12 minutes. Don't you overcook this. Overcooked salmon is the actual worst.

This barbecue sauce is bae. You'll have leftovers. You can baste the cooked salmon with some more before you serve it. You can make some chicken and use the sauce with it. You can dip any chip-like vehicle you can find in your pantry in it. You can lick out of the pan. I will never judge you for this.

Serve this with whatever yum BBQ sides you want! If you wanna keep it healthy as hell, try this bomb recipe for garlic sautéed spinach. I am in love with it. I'm basically Popeye. 

Garlic Sautéed Spinach (Recipe by Ina Garten)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic (6 cloves)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Lemon

Sea or kosher salt, optional

Instructions

1. Rinse the spinach to make sure it's clean and then pat it or spin it dry

2. In a big ol' pot, heat the olive oil and then saute the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, but don't let it get browned.

3. Add the spinach, salt, and pepper and toss with the garlic and oil.

4. Cover the pot and cook for two minutes.

5. Uncover and cook for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon until the spinach is all wilted.

6. Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with a squeeze of lemon and a little sea salt.

Enjoy, homies.

S