How to cook salmon

...without really trying, apparently.

A friend this afternoon asked me how I cook salmon; I sent her this "recipe" that I made the other day along with some basic facts about fish, which she'd never dealt with before. She replied, "Typical you - this is so unhelpful, I need real measurements!"

My mother never measures either, so at least I guess I come by it honestly. Anyway, for your entertainment and for my recollection later on:

Preheat broiler. Rinse, pat dry, and de-bone your fish. Remove skin if you feel adventurous. Place fish skin-side down on oiled, foil-lined broiler pan; lightly salt/pepper.

Mix together:
Almost-equal parts honey and Dijon mustard (lean towards more mustard than honey) - enough so it looks like it will cover all the fish
Garlic, minced (start with 1/2 clove per person - if you like more, use more, if you like less, scale it back)
A glug of vinegar - not balsamic, but red wine, white wine, champagne, cider, etc. would all do nicely
A squeeze of lemon
A pinch of salt
A few grinds of black pepper

Spread honey-mustard mixture on fish.

Broil fish until barely cooked through; start checking when the fat (that white stuff, yes fish does have fat) starts to come out of the fish. Steaks will take longer than filets. I like mine less done, as long as it's quality salmon, but cook it to your taste.

The honey makes a nice glaze when it cooks, and the mustard/garlic/vinegar keep it from being boring. I placed mine on a bed of wilted kale with some roasted carrots on the side, but this goes with anything - it'd be just as great on top of a salad with a mustard-balsamic vinaigrette.

Mmmm, fish.

I flip my latkes...

Happy December! It is the best month of the year, and not just because I was born in it.

Happy Hanukkah too, if that's your thing. Please allow me to direct your attention to one of the greatest things on YouTube, ever.

Why are you still reading this?