Mother's Day Cocoa Spiced Salmon

My Mother circa 1942

Confession: My mother is not a chocoholic. So for Mother's Day this precludes giving her Truffles or Chocolates or baking anything chocolate specifically for her. However, my mother would eat salmon every day if she could. So I was thrilled to find this easy recipe adapted from Peggy Trowbridge Filippone on about.com for Cocoa Spiced Salmon.

I love cocoa/chocolate rubs, and this one helps seal in the flavor of the salmon. We do a lot of grilling at our house, so it's perfect for Mother's Day.. or any day! If you don't have a grill, you can broil. Give it 10 minutes tops!

Tomorrow, I plan to serve this Cocoa Spiced Salmon with a green salad made with blueberries, cocoa nibs, blue cheese and spiced walnuts. I use a Strawberry vinaigrette. I'm also making a Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert... for the other people at the table... and maybe some Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.

Mother's Day Cocoa Spiced Salmon

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Dash of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon DARK cocoa powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-1/2 pounds salmon filet

Mustard Sauce (optional)
1/4 cup dry mustard
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons hot water

Preparation:

We cook on a Weber, but if you have a gas grill, fire to medium-high heat. Smear 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the bottom of a shallow aluminum pan. (Alternatively, you may form a tray out of a double layer of heavy foil. Be sure to place it on a cookie sheet for stability.)

Whisk together sugar, dry mustard, cinnamon, paprika, cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, pepper, and salt.

Coat both sides of the salmon filet with remaining olive oil. Place in grill pan skin-side down. Sprinkle generously with the cocoa spice mixture and pat down. (You may have some spice mix left over. Store in a glass jar in a cool, dark place up to 6 months.)

The recipe says to grill salmon about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Do not overcook or it will become dry.  We cook our salmon for a much shorter period of time, but then we don't have the same control on the heat.

Mustard Sauce: Optional
Whisk together dry mustard, sugar, and hot water until smooth. Serve as a condiment with Cocoa Spiced Salmon.