Every once in a while a chef gets the equivalent of writer’s block. He (or she, of course) has been coming up with new specials six days a week for months using whatever new ingredients he can get his hands on, but one day it all closes off. Staring into the cooler, he sees the same old ingredients, and it bores him. Potatoes again. Salmon again. Basmati rice…again.

This very thing happened to me one afternoon as I stood in my kitchen in Washington. I was staring down at a pan of freshly cleaned salmon, and I was bored with it. Salmon is, of course, a mainstay for people in the Pacific Northwest. They’ve had salmon each and every kind of way. Having cooked so much salmon for so long, nothing I did felt new. I was searching for something I could say was different.

At this very same time, our pastry chef was making a raspberry dessert. It was one of our top selling dessert items and it consisted primarily of shortbread slathered with raspberry jam and baked. I started thinking about that giant can of raspberry jam she was using, and wondering if I could do something interesting with it for an entree. I love raspberry jam. The sweet tart smoothness and the tiny seeds seem such a perfect preserve.

I stared at the salmon. I stared at the jam. Why not?

From a seemingly uninspired afternoon was born a new favorite of mine. This dish became a staple on evenings when there was too much prep work to handle an elaborate special. With the addition of a little whole grain mustard and dill to the raspberry jam, a new favorite was born.

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup raspberry jam
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• Oil for searing (approximately 1 tablespoon)
• 4 salmon filets

1. Mix jam, mustard, and dill together in a small bowl until fully combined.
2. Heat oil in a saute pan until just beginning to ripple.
3. Place seasoned salmon fillets in oil to sear until golden brown.
4. Remove salmon and place on a baking sheet.
5. Glaze each fillet with raspberry mixture and bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Serve over wild rice with your favorite vegetable.