Roasted Salmon with Smoked Paprika

Saturday was our turn to host supper club (when did I grow old and suburban?), and I managed to find wild king salmon for a price slightly less than the national debt.  Since it has its own distinct flavor, I was hesitant to do something frou-frou with it, and ended up with this painfully simple preparation.

For Three Pounds of Salmon Fillet:

Marinade:
1/2 c. orange juice
2 T. olive oil
1 T. dried thyme

Rub:
3 T. brown sugar
1 T. smoked paprika
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. grated orange peel
1 t. sea salt

Mix together the marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl (i.e., glass), and marinate the salmon, covered and refrigerated for a half hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the fish from the marinade and discard excess marinade.  Place the fish on a greased and foil-lined pan.  Sprinkle the mixed rub ingredients over the fish, and rub in gently.  Roast 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute fresh spinach in a little bit of olive oil and garlic.  Serve the fish over the spinach.

We served this with a couscous done with orange juice, dried cranberries and slivered almonds.  The combination was pretty fabulous.

A COUPLE OF NOTES:
What made this particularly good for a dinner party is that I was able to have the salmon completely "oven ready" before people arrived.  Same for the couscous liquid.  Just before we sat for salad, I was able to combine the couscous ingredients and let them sit.  The salmon went into the oven.  When it was time for the main course, it literally took me three minutes to saute the spinach and put this together.