Brown Sugar Salmon with Rosemary Mustard Sauce

Last week on the flight out to California for the CrossFit Games, I sat next to a woman who boarded the plane in a straw hat with sunglasses on and stilettos.

That alone probably tells you enough about the experience but in case you want some more color, she dug through her designer bag right before take off, grabbed a prescription pill bottle and popped 3 of whatever was in it.

It was kind of unfortunate because prior to that I was having a ton of fun reading her text messages to a girlfriend as she ripped apart some guy she had previously dated.

The font on her phone turned up to what I call the “mom font”. You know, the one so big that one letter takes up an entire row of text.

It’s barely considered being noisy when the text is practically jumping out and attacking you.

So an hour and a half into the flight, she’s sleeping (with an eye mask on) and I’m watching some weird ass Nicole Kidman movie trying to figure out how she does an American accent so well when all of a sudden the seatbelt light goes on and we get the typical “folks, just hitting a little patch of rough air, please return to your seats…” speech from the pilot.

Not a big deal, typical turbulence, honestly nothing to even bat an eyelash at.

Unless you’re the pill popper beside me.

Next thing I know her hand is around my arm and I look over to see she’s talking to me.

I take the headphones off and she looks me straight in the eye and says “I’m scared. Are we going to die?”

My first thought was “I’m pretty sure I’m not, but why don’t you tell me what those 3 pills you took were before I make a judgment call on you.”

Except I had 3 more hours next to her so I didn’t say that.

I tried to reassure her the turbulence wasn’t that bad and we’d be fine but she proceeded to tell me she didn’t even have a good last meal if this was the end.

So I asked her what she ate last and she said: salmon.

I like salmon. In fact, I really like it. Especially when wrapped with bacon.

But, I can’t really say it’d be my first choice for a last meal (I honestly don’t think I could even pick one food to end on, there are just too many choices!) but I really wouldn’t be upset if it did in fact end up being my last meal.

Particularly if it was this brown sugar salmon recipe.

Caramelized on the stove top with brown sugar, finished in the oven and a lemon rosemary mustard sauce poured on top to serve – it’d be a pretty decent last meal.

So here’s to crazy people on airplanes…thanks for the inspiration (and the entertainment).

MORE SALMON RECIPES:

Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon
Blackened Salmon Tacos
Crispy Salmon Bites
Sheet Pan Turmeric Salmon with Cherry Sauce