Winter is just about coming to an end, and then it’ll be all about tender asparagus, peppery and crisp radishes, and fresh, flavorful peas that pop in your mouth. Just thinking about these springtime veggies seems like such a tease. We’re so close, yet so far!

[To find out what veggies are in season, check out our Veggies by Month chart here!]

We have found the perfect solution, though. The bridge between winter and spring is in this week’s super simple and delicious recipe, Maple-Thyme Panko Salmon. Tender, flaky salmon is topped with a crunchy panko crust that is infused with maple syrup and fresh thyme leaves. The flavors are wintry and the overall taste is so light, it feels just like spring, making this dish the perfect balance of both seasons.

“I’m pretty sure anything with Panko and maple syrup will be delicious. This was no exception!”
-Brian

To keep the taste of spring present in this meal, we like to serve this with our Citrus Avocado Salad, which adds another level of refreshing flavor with wintry citrus fruit. The slight tartness from the citrus and vinaigrette balance out the sweetness in the salmon’s panko crust.

And while we love every bit of this winter / spring dish, the component that really stands out is the panko crust. You can ask any of our Kitchen Heroes what some of their favorite Cook Smarts meals are, and you will most likely find one of our panko-crusted somethings on that list. It’s one of the main reasons we keep coming up ways to put a panko crust on anything! If there’s one thing we learned from creating all these meal plans, it’s that flavorful, crunchy toppings are irresistible.

“Once again this maple panko knocks it out of the park. So delicious and I love anything paired with an awesome salad. I used grapefruit and it was amazing! Perfect meal!”
-Angela

We especially love this panko topping encrusted on salmon, since salmon is so tender and flaky, and provides such a nice textural contrast against the crispy panko. Another proof that this is a winning combo: our Maple-Dijon Panko Crusted Salmon. It’s one of our earlier recipes, but still one of our best ones yet. The cooking prep and technique are the same in these recipes, but we’re sure that after trying one, you’ll definitely be making the other.

For More Smarts:

Double up on this panko crust, so that you have extras to easily spoon over any protein whenever you want to dress up a simple weeknight meal.

Prepping Smarts:

Make sure that fish is rinsed and patted dry before you start cooking. Here’s how:

Equipment Smarts:

We love meals that require very little dishes to clean up, just like this recipe! All you need for your salmon is an inexpensive sheet pan that you can easily pop into the oven.

For more kitchen and equipment and tool smarts, visit our ‘Essential Kitchen Cookware and Tools’

See this recipe in our meal plan here