This past March, I had the best salmon I had ever consumed in my twenty years of life.

My boyfriend Gray and I took a Spring Break road-trip to Tampa, Florida this year to spend a fabulous vacation with his sister and brother-in-law. We jam-packed about everything you can experience in Florida into just a seven day span. We saw Mickey, Hogwarts, baseball, hockey, the beach, Ikea, and glorious restaurants, but the one thing that will always stick out in my mind the most when I dream about the sunshine state is Jeremy’s salmon.

Jeremy is my boyfriend’s brother-in-law. He’s an amazing man – brilliant, hardworking, funny, creative, resourceful, humble, kind, generous, a loving husband, and a proud daddy-to-be. He is currently an orthopedic surgeon resident at the hospital, and it’s safe to say he gets about the average amount of sleep each week as I do during a day-time nap. This man is impressive.

With that said, we didn’t spend a whole lot of time with Jeremy during our Florida trip. Thankfully, we got to spend a good amount of time with Jeremy’s wife, Amie. I could tell you all about Amie in detail, but that honestly might take a couple of hundreds of posts. She is just as amazing as her husband, and they make a truly beautiful couple. Even in the midst of the busy work week, the two of them prepared dinner for Gray and me after we had enjoyed a day at Universal Studios. I knew the food would be tasty, but I had no idea exactly what my taste buds were about to experience.

Jeremy cooked up a delicious salmon recipe that I’m sure even the neighbors were salivating over. He explained just how easy the dish was, and the minimal amount of effort it took. I remember smelling a warm maple scent with pungent bursts of buttery garlic. I took my first bite and was lost for words. The salmon did not have the least bit of its “classic” fishy odor or taste and it flaked apart beautifully. The flavors melded so well together and the juices were brilliantly locked into the fish so that not a single ounce was dry or rubbery.

Our trip to Florida with Amie and Jeremy was probably one of the best I’ve ever taken. When I think about being there, a smile can’t help but form on my face. Reproducing Jeremy’s salmon recipe is only one small nostalgic way of me being able to pretend I’m still there.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 pound of wild Alaskan salmon fillet (with or without skin)

1/4 cup of grade A or B maple syrup

2 tablespoons of soy sauce (I used low-sodium)

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

Combine the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper together in a plastic zip-top bag. Submerge the salmon in the marinate and allow the flavors to set in for at least 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge. Place the plastic bag in a deep dish container to prevent any and all messy accidents. 

If you choose to bake the salmon, remove it from the marinade and place it on a foil-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

If you choose to grill the salmon, place it on a grill-tray (or make a foil tray like I did, just be sure to liberally spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray) and grill each side of the fish over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, or until the flesh is slightly firm but still resilient and flaky.

Now, I can’t say my take on Jeremy’s salmon was quite as tasty as his, but it sure was close. It was definitely a hit at my dinner table last night.

Try it out for yourself and see if you don’t absolutely fall in love with it.

Eat up!