Spicy Maple Salmon

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this dish, so I included a photo that I am sure most, if not all, Canadians would recognize: the maple syrup tap. How our native Canadians ever figured out how to extract, collect and boil down maple tree sap into syrup, I'm not really sure, but the result really is pure sweet joy. We did this dish on the BBQ, rather than in the oven, and found that it was very helpful to have saved some of the maple/cayenne mixture to pour on your salmon right before serving. Quite a yummy little dish and a fun, new way to spin an old favourite. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:

1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 of a whole (4 pound) pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces lengthwise
Lime wedges (optional), for serving

Directions:
1. Heat broiler, with rack in top position. Cook rice according to package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, arrange salmon and pineapple in a single layer, and brush with half the maple syrup glaze. Broil until salmon is cooked through, 8 to 11 minutes, brushing salmon and pineapple with glaze halfway through.

or... alternately:
Heat BBQ grill to medium and lightly oil grates. Cook salmon until coated through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Ensure fish is cooked through. Reserve 1/4 of your maple/cayenne mixture to serve on top of salmon.

3. Cut pineapple into chunks. Serve rice with salmon, pineapple, and lime wedges, if desired. If BBQ'ing, drizzle maple/cayenne mixture over fish. Enjoy!

- recipe cred Martha Stewart