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    Home » Entrees » Seafood Recipes

    Thyme Encrusted Salmon with Blackberry Gastrique Recipe

    Published: Aug 3, 2011 · Modified: Mar 30, 2021 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 18 Comments

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    Thyme Encrusted Salmon with Blackberry Gastrique Recipe

    While I am enjoying some summer playtime with my family, several of my favorite food bloggers are sharing their talents with you. Today, Rachel of The Fromagette gives us this very tempting Thyme Encrusted Salmon with Blackberry Gastrique. I first introduced you to Rachel when I made her Creamy Carrot & Jalapeno Soup, which is now one of our favorite soups. Rachel is not only a great cook, but a cheese expert to the "n"th degree. She owned a high-end cheese shop in Washington state for five years and is currently working on a book on everything you wanted to know about choosing, cooking with and eating cheese. Yep, I'll be first in line for that book.

    Well over a decade old, this recipe has stood the test of time. I still love the flavor combinations and the way it looks with the thyme leaves pressed into the salmon like old style dried flowers. Having an out of control sweet tooth, I am particularly enamored with adding a note of sweetness to salmon.

    Blackberries grow abundantly in the wild here in the pacific northwest, so as the season approaches I am excited to revisit this perennial fave.We are not having much of a summer here so far, so unfortunately blackberries are making a late appearance. But soon {should I willingly endure such a prickly undertaking} they will be available everywhere I look - free for the picking.

    Remembering last years debate of purchasing vs. picking had me rethinking hand-picking, but luckily there's a bit of amnesia involved. I will undoubtedly be waist high in blackberries bushes with no turning back before realizing I could have gone an easier route by visiting one of our local fruit stands or the farmers market. Oh well... for me, summer is all about recapturing the romanticism in the old fashioned rituals of days past.

    1-salmon

    Thyme Encrusted Salmon with Blackberry Gastrique

    This thyme encrusted salmon with blackberry gastrique is impressive enough for entertaining, but surprisingly easy to make.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entrees
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: Seafood Recipes
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 401kcal
    Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups fresh blackberries
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 large shallot minced
    • ¼ cup dry red wine
    • salt and pepper
    • 4 fresh salmon fillets 1 ½- 2 pounds total, skinned
    • ⅓ cup fresh thyme leaves plus a few sprigs for garnish
    • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a food processor or blender, puree 1¾ cups of the berries, reserving the remaining ¼ cup to use as a garnish. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl; discard seeds.
    • To prepare gastrique: In a 1- to 2-quart pan, mix sugar with ¼ cup water; cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat until reduced to a thick caramel-colored syrup, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; carefully add vinegar.
    • Return to low heat and stir until caramel is dissolved. Remove from pan and set aside. Rinse pan.
    • In the same pan, melt butter over medium-high heat; add shallot and cook, stirring often, until just golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid evaporates (watch carefully), about 5 minutes.
    • Add berry puree and cook, uncovered, until reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Add the gastrique to pan. Add salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
    • Rinse fish; pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
    • Mix thyme and cloves; spread on a large plate. Set fillets on thyme mixture; press to adhere and let stand a few minutes. Turn over; repeat to coat all sides.
    • Add oil to a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat. When pan is hot, cook fish until lightly brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side; transfer to oven in same pan if handle is ovenproof (or transfer fillets to a baking pan).
    • Bake fish in a 375 degrees oven until fish is barely opaque in thickest part, 4 to 6 minutes. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce onto each of 4 heated plates; place a fillet on top. Place whole berries on top of and around fillet. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

    Notes

    From the kitchen of The Fromagette. Adapted from Sunset Magazine.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 994mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 21.6mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2.6mg
    Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Magic of Spice

        August 08, 2011 at 4:10 pm

        Gorgeous salmon dish and the blackberry gastrique sounds delightful...beautiful flavor profile here 🙂

        Reply
      2. Megan

        August 07, 2011 at 10:00 pm

        This looks like a perfect dinner. Bookmarked this one for dinner real soon!

        Reply
      3. Shelly Donahue

        August 04, 2011 at 7:48 pm

        This brings back memories of my first date with my husband! We sat overlooking Shilshole Bay at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle eating Copper River Salmon with Blackberry Port sauce. I think I'll have to make this very soon!

        Reply
      4. Becky at Vintage Mixer

        August 04, 2011 at 11:05 am

        truth be told, I had to look up Gastrique 🙂 But this recipe looks amazing. A good sauce is worth so much I think!

        Reply
      5. Cooking Creation

        August 04, 2011 at 7:44 am

        I love the flavor combination in this and I cannot wait to give it a try! Thanks for sharing this!

        Reply
      6. marla

        August 04, 2011 at 7:16 am

        So fun to see Rachel over here!! This looks amazing...the sweet blackberry sauce is something I have never tries with salmon. Must do so 🙂

        Reply
      7. Kimby

        August 04, 2011 at 6:29 am

        Rachel (and Dara!), this looks incredible. Thanks for the co-post!

        Reply
      8. Kathleen

        August 03, 2011 at 9:58 pm

        I soooo can't wait to try this.

        Reply
      9. carolinaheartstrings

        August 03, 2011 at 2:11 pm

        Just fantastic. This recipe is a must try for sure.

        Reply
      10. Kulsum at JourneyKitchen

        August 03, 2011 at 12:22 pm

        I have never thought of salmon with blackberries. Looks like I would like it!

        Reply
      11. Pretend Chef

        August 03, 2011 at 12:07 pm

        This looks incredible. What a great recipe and one that makes me miss back home. Growing up half the fun of blackberry picking was polishing off the ice cream in the bucket we were going to use. Haha!

        Reply
      12. Barbara | Creative Culinary

        August 03, 2011 at 11:52 am

        Great recipe; I make a lot of salmon with a fruity component but I most usually make it raspberries...this is new and different and I love it!

        Reply
      13. Jennifer

        August 03, 2011 at 10:07 am

        That looks simply divine!

        Reply
      14. Bev Weidner

        August 03, 2011 at 8:28 am

        WONDERFUL. Salmon and I share friendship bracelets, so this is right up my alley.

        Reply
      15. KalynsKitchen

        August 03, 2011 at 8:00 am

        Such an interesting combination of flavors!

        Reply
      16. Amy

        August 03, 2011 at 6:39 am

        Now this is a good salmon recipe! I had salmon with blackberry before at a catered event and I was super skeptical, but I loved it! Thanks for the recipe I cannot wait to try this, I usually make Salmon once a week and I only have like 4 recipes so they get turned over pretty quickly! I will tell you how it turns out!

        Reply
      17. Katrina

        August 03, 2011 at 4:52 am

        This is so elegant looking!

        Reply
      18. Maris (In Good Taste)

        August 03, 2011 at 3:06 am

        I think I just found my new favorite recipe for salmon! Great guest post!

        Reply

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      I'm Dara, a Canadian living in the U.S. and sharing my favorite healthy recipes. My cooking motto is that healthy eating never needs to be boring!

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