Grilled Salmon with a Sweet Glaze is a great meal to ring in the new year. Healthy, yet indulgent enough to eat on a date night! Throw in a glass of Prosecco Superiore and you’ve got yourself a perfect meal.
As the year wraps up we start to plan our goals for the new year. Most will be focusing on healthy eating, meal planning, possibly making some drastic changes to their diet.
For me, I focus on balance. And balance, to me, means not giving up the things I love, but instead, moderating, or going a bit lighter. I’m not about to sacrifice flavor just because I may have indulged a bit much during the holiday season.
I just refocus.
I’m also not about to stop drinking one of my favorite beverages on the planet. Here’s talking to you, Prosecco Superiore!
It’s just plan better when it comes to New Year meals. Quality over quantity. Combine the food-friendly flavor profile of Prosecco Superiore with fun unique wood fired dishes and you have an amazing combo.
That’s right. Despite what you may think, this is a beverage that can be paired with so many grilled dishes. Why?
Because Prosecco Superiore is complex. It has a wide range of flavors. It’s elegant, yet fresh. It’s fun, yet serious.
In this post we talked about what Prosecco Superiore is, and the different styles of wines produced in this region. We also talked about the levels of sweetness you can expect from the three distinct styles (from dry to sweet). We also showcased a fantastic pairing of spicy shrimp with a sweeter style “Dry” Prosecco Superiore on AM Northwest recently (check it out here).
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG: The vineyards
The towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are at the heart of this region, and the home of the highest quality DOCG Prosecco Superiore wines.
The Conegliano Valdobbiadene region (say it with me: Co-neee-lee-ah-noh Val-doh-bee-ah-de-neh) – is located just miles from Venice, and the home to handcrafted sparklers that are are anything but ordinary.
Within the Prosecco Superiore DOCG region there are two sub regions that are distinct on their own. And that you should know about.
Cartizze and Rive
Both are subzones within the region of Prosecco Superiore DOCG, that express the top quality of wines produced here. These areas are considered the “crus” and “grand crus” of the region. And you can expect to pay generally up to the $30 – $40 range, which is a fantastic value for such gorgeous, handcrafted, artisan sparkling wines and very competitive with grower Champagnes in price/quality.
And these are only from this Conegliano Valdobbiadene region.
I’m telling you this from experience. The region here is simply stunning and awe worthy! The wines are handcrafted primarily from family operated wineries, handpicked, on some steep and dangerous hillsides, that have been doing this for generations! Humble and resilient people, working in a stunning region, making balanced and gorgeous wines.
You want to try these!
And just because it’s January doesn’t mean you don’t deserve something good! Because you do.
And we’re pairing this Extra Dry Prosecco Superiore with an elegant, yet easy, Grilled Salmon with a Maple Orange Glaze.
Grilled Salmon with Orange Maple Glaze
Yes, we live in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). And what that really means is we have access to the worlds best salmon. And our grilled salmon with a nice glaze provides and amazing contrast to the Prosecco Superiore.
Let’s make this simple, yet full of flavor. Make a dry rub for the salmon. And apply that dry rub no more than a day before you are going to grill it.
Then we put it on the grill. This will caramelize the rub and get us ready to add the glaze.
The glaze is a simple add of the ingredients. Then we brush it on the salmon while on the grill. This lets it set.
Finally we remove the salmon from the grill and we brush one more time with the glaze. Serve with rosemary roasted potatoes, or your favorite side.
Pair this dish with an Extra Dry style Prosecco Superiore DOCG
Video for Grilled Salmon with Orange Maple Glaze
- 4 (6-oz, 1-inch thick) salmon fillets
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (honey works too)
- the juice of one medium orange
- 1 teaspoon salt
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Preheat your grill for direct/indirect cooking.
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In a small bowl combine all the rub ingredients, and in a separate bowl combine all the glaze ingredients and set aside.
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Coat salmon pieces in olive oil then sprinkle the dry rub over the salmon liberally.
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Place salmon, skin side up, on the grill over direct heat. Let it sear for up to 4 minutes. You know it’s ready to flip when it doesn’t stick to the grill. Flip, close lid, and then cook on direct heat for another three minutes skin side down.
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After three minutes, brush the glaze over the top of the salmon and close the lid to finish cooking. In another two minutes check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the salmon and pull at 125 degrees F for the upper end of medium rare. If your flame is too high, move to indirect heat and check the temperature more often.
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Remove salmon from the grill, plate it, and drizzle with additional glaze just before serving.
Want to learn more about Prosecco Superiore DOCG?
Start here:
- Champagne vs. Prosecco — What’s the Difference?
- Discover Conegliano Valdobbiadene, The home of Prosecco Superiore
- Grilled Pork Chops with Wine Brown Butter Sauce and Prosecco Superiore wine pairing
- Spicy Sriracha Grilled Shrimp – And Prosecco Superiore Wine Pairing
- Sparkling Wines of Italy — The wide variety you should know about
This post was sponsored by Consorzio di Tutela Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. As always, all opinions are my own and I only work with folks I love and support. And I will always have a warm place in my heart for the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore growing region.
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