Broiled Wild Salmon with Maple-Mustard-Smoked Paprika Glaze

Quick and easy! For you Athens area people, in my opinion Kroger (Alps or Gaines School) has the most reasonably priced decent quality wild sockeye salmon. At the fish counter, I always ask for a still-frozen side of salmon, because that way I know it's not been sitting there defrosted for a long time. It's a good idea to develop a taste for wild salmon as opposed to farmed salmon - it's way better for you, and has not been fattened up with agricultural by-products. The smoked paprika gives it a nice, well, smoky taste.

Wild salmon filets (or a whole side of salmon still on the skin)

Real maple syrup
Dijon mustard
Butter
Smoked paprika

Kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper

Turn on your broiler and raise your oven rack to the second-closest position to the broiler.

Rinse salmon and place it on a foil-lined, lightly oiled baking sheet (regular olive oil, or any vegetable oil, works great). Pat salmon dry with a paper towel. If using individual filets, spread them out on the pan, leaving plenty of space in between them.

In a microwaveable measuring cup (like Pyrex) or bowl, put maple syrup, dijon mustard, butter, and smoked paprika (you want your mixture to consist of roughly half maple syrup, one-fourth butter, and one-fourth dijon mustard, with a few shakes of smoked paprika). Microwave this mixture until the butter melts, and stir well. You don't need a lot, just enough to generously glaze your raw salmon.

Pour mixture over the raw salmon, using a spoon to spread it thoroughly over the fish. Sprinkle salmon generously with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Broil to the doneness you like. The fish will slightly "shrink" and the glaze should be a nice golden brown when it's done. You can eat it with the skin or not, depending on your preference.

This is great with wild rice (I like the brown rice/wild rice blends) and steamed green beans.