I used to hate salmon — until I tried this 4-ingredient honey marinade

There’s a clever trick to clean eating and I am slowly learning it. Now, I am not saying this will work for everybody, however, the trick is slowly working for me. Let me back it up first, though. 

“…and salmon is the most overrated fish in the sea,” used to be my favorite thing to say. I said it all of the time­­­­­­–– at the bar, house parties, or to any person I ever met in my travels, “Nobody likes it, it’s just so available that we are forced to eat it and people think they like it, they don’t.”

“Have you ever told a friend to try that restaurant on the corner of 55th because they make the best salmon?” I’d say. “Absolutely not!” 

This was truly how I felt for most of my life, and as I got older, I became more vocal and sharing my disdain for the oily fish, because I enjoyed everyone collectively telling me how crazy I am, “You don’t love salmon?” they would say with confused looks wiped the across their faces, “It is so delicious, my God, you just haven’t had it the way I prepare it.” 

My rant normally ends with me telling them that I’ve had it at restaurants with Michelin stars, so I don’t think you can make me flip my stance. And I didn’t have to — I was a proud lamb chop guy. 

I never had the opportunity, but if I was blessed with a heavy bank account, then I would have eaten lamb chops for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, desert and my midnight snack everyday.  There’s no way in hell a person can look at a menu, or travel to a restaurant, and choose salmon over a rack of delicious robust lamb chops, a perfectly cut filet mignon or juicy chicken breast. 

Lay the salmon next to these foods: it’s pink like an unhealed scar, frail and looks in need of a hug. Even if you seasoned salmon to perfection, and used some type of rare plant from the Garden of Eden as a garnish, it is still an unattractive fish to me. But lamb chops are high in cholesterol and salmon, unfortunately, helps lower cholesterol — and I am actively trying to lower my cholesterol, so here we are. 

Sometimes I hear sad violin playing in the background of my local market as I slowly walked past those beautiful hunks of lamb only to make my way toward the sad fish, but that was early in my journey to achieving healthy cholesterol levels, because I mastered the clever trick. 

The clever trick requires eating healthy every day until it becomes normal. No gimmick, no fads, just repeating the same boring eating activity every day, until it becomes not so boring. I’ve been at this for a little over a month now, and I have to say I am starting to enjoy salmon––  salmon has become my ice cream, salmon is my love language, the pink fish is one of the things I look forward to every single day. And no, it is not boring nor bland, because I have been finding and modifying, and creating simple ingredients that has allowed me to appreciate salmon as much I love my precious lamb chops. 

My newest love is honey-glazed lemon pepper salmon.