I am often asked where I get my recipe inspiration. The answer is: everywhere. Restaurants, gazing at prepared food at a deli counter, scrolling through social media, reading magazines, figuring out how to use up leftovers, eating at friends’ homes, being asked to make something to satisfy a craving — you name it, I’ve been inspired by it.

This recipe (as you would guess) comes to me by way of a dear friend, Dedie Leahy. Dedie is a sometimes cook, but an all-the-time wonderful human being. A year or so ago, she asked me to go over her favorite go-do entertaining dish because she had to share it with folks and thought it needed a professional edit. I did. And I was intrigued. So I fiddled around with the recipe, and this is my version, which I hope has her blessing.

Dedie’s Herbed Salmon: An eclectic and interesting blend of herbs, spices, citrus and maple syrup makes this a very memorable salmon dish.

Dedie is not a measurer, so when she shared this recipe with me, I had to do some decoding. It’s not a difficult task, though — and I loved the slightly odd combo of ingredients. Cinnamon with Mediterranean spices? Interesting! And it works. She told me she has a generous hand with the herbs and spices, but if you want to dial back the amounts, you can. I, however, followed Dedie’s advice, which I do in most things, and I’m here to say, this is one delicious fish recipe.

My friend actually starts her recipe with the fish still frozen because she claims she’s impatient. I like more control over the level of doneness of the fish, so I use defrosted or fresh salmon.

Dedie also recommends having some sourdough bread on hand to drag through and soak up all of the pan juices with the flavors of the fish, seasonings, olive oil, and slightly caramelized maple syrup. And once again, Dedie does not lead us astray.

And yet AGAIN, following Dedie’s lead, I serve this with skillet broccoli cooked in olive oil, with garlic red pepper flakes. 

How to Make Dedie’s Herbed Salmon

1. Preheat the broiler. Pour the olive oil into a baking dish large enough to hold the fish filets. Add the basil, oregano, thyme, paprika, garlic powder, and cinnamon, and stir to blend the spices into the oil. Place the salmon into the pan and flip them around until they are coated with the herbed oil.

2. Arrange the salmon filets top-side up. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Broil the salmon for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are almost done to your liking. Remove the fish from the oven. Then drizzle them with the lemon juice. And the maple syrup.

4. Return them to the broiler and broil for another minute or two until done. Transfer to a serving platter or individual plates and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

What to Serve With Dedie’s Herbed Salmon

• Sautéed Garlic Broccoli
• Creamed Spinach
• Crispy Sauteed Potatoes
• Kale Quinoa Salad with Honey, Lemon, and Dijon Dressing
• Quinoa Salad

More Salmon Recipes

• Salmon with Polenta and Warm Tomato Vinaigrette
• Orange Salmon With Leeks and Mushrooms 
• Thai Salmon 
• Salmon Corn Chowder 
• Baked Salmon