Toasted Sesame Salmon

Here's another recipe I found in a Pampered Chef cookbook.

My parents took us on a trip to Costco last weekend, which is a pretty big adventure. It's really easy to start grabbing everything that looks good and throw it into your basket, and before you know it you've collected a bazillion dollars worth of merchandise. We kept track of pricing as we went along and managed to get out without totally breaking the bank!

One of the things that was on our list of must-buy items was salmon. Costco sells bags of frozen, individually wrapped salmon filets. It makes it easy to thaw just as much as you need.

Being in the Midwest, buying fresh salmon can be pretty hit-or-miss. After one too many attempts at buying from the seafood counter, only to realize when I got home that the fish was... less than fresh, I've decided that frozen is the way to go.

The other ingredient in this recipe I should mention is the tahini paste. Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. I originally bought it to use in making my own hummus (which surprisingly easy to do.)  I had trouble finding this in the store, which resulted in me ordering two GIGANTIC bottles from Amazon (seriously, I could make 2 batches of hummus a day for a year and not get through those things.) However, I've since seen it in the organic/natural food sections of the grocery store in much more manageable sized bottles.

Toasted Sesame Salmon

Ingredients:
4 tsp sesame seeds (I bought pre-toasted)
3 Tbsp prepared teriyaki baste and glaze
1 Tbsp tahini paste
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 salmon fillets

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. (If your seeds aren't pre-toasted:) Place sesame seeds in saute pan. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool.

3. Combine baste and glaze, tahini, sesame oil, and pressed garlic in a bowl and whisk well.

4. Place fillets on medium sheet pan. (I put parchment paper on the baking pan just in case the glaze got too sticky.) Brush each fillet with glaze mixture using a silicone basting brush. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the sesame seeds over each fillet.

5. Bake 12-14 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.