“The warmth of the spices battles for dominance with the cool bite of the juniper, like the meeting of the cold glacial salmon and the fiery oven. Northrend food has never tasted so good.” – World of Warcraft official cookbook

Hey ya’ll, back again with the WoW recipes continued! This time we’re cooking up glacial salmon and Northrend (Northern) Spices! Gotta get that spell power buff whilst adventuring around Northrend.  For an intro and background about why we are doing this check this post here.

We love salmon and fish in our home. We also love any recipe with the word “Firecracker” in it. This recipe was a no-brainer, gotta-try for us. We used wild Alaskan Salmon filets and hand prepped the Northern Spice Blend in advance for use with other recipes. It is a blend of juniper berries, cardamom, smoked salt, pepper, ginger and allspice. So fragrant, it really evokes the cooling and warming you’d imagine while being somewhere in the cold, like Northrend or Alaska. I adapted the marinade slightly by adding lime juice, mirin and sesame oil. I finished it with a honey-sriracha and lime glaze for some extra pop and served it with the Kalimdor Wild Rice cakes (another recipe from the book).

 Recipe:

4 – 4 oz wild Alaskan salmon filets 

For the spice blend:

• 1 tbsp. cardamom
• 1 tbsp dried juniper berries
• 1 tsp smoked salt
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns (I used a three peppercorn variety)
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice

Using a spice/coffee grinder or small food processor, grind all together until there are no large pieces remaining. SNORT and inhale deeply of the goodness. Store in an airtight jar.

For the Marinade:

• 1/4 c veg oil of your choice
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp mirin
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp (or more) sriracha sauce
• 1 tsp Northern Spice blend
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• juice of 1/2 lime

Combine all ingredients for marinade, whisking together well. Place salmon in ziploc bag or shallow glass dish and pour marinade over top, flipping to insure all sides are covered. Place in refrigerator and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Once marinated, preheat a broiler or grill to high heat. Line a broiling pan or shallow sheet pan with foil, oil and use a rack. If using a grill, use a well oiled fish pan or soaked cedar plank. Place the salmon skin side down. Brush the marinade over the top of the fish, sprinkle with more Northern spice blend, salt and pepper. Broil for 8-10 minutes, depending on thickness of the filets. Or grill for same amount of time. The fish will separate easily when done and not be spongy.

While the fish is cooking, combine 1/4 c honey and 1/4 c sriracha with a squeeze of lime in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes or until the consistency is slightly syrupy but still easily brushed on. Remove fish from oven or grill and brush liberally with sauce. Use any remaining sauce for topping the Wild Rice Cakes or for dipping.