Two Ways to Cook with Honey: Pumpkin Salad & Chipotle Salmon
Welcome back to Parakai Honey's Little Kitchen! 🍯
Yesterday, we introduced you to the savoury side of honey. Today, we're getting practical. We're sharing two full recipes that prove just how transformative a spoonful of our Mānuka honey can be.
Mānuka honey is not just a sweetener – it's a flavour enhancer. Its complex, earthy sweetness balances heat, deepens savoury notes, and creates a beautiful, glossy finish that turns simple ingredients into something memorable.
Today, we're cooking two dishes:
A hearty, warming Roast Pumpkin Salad with a honey-chilli kick
A stunning Chipotle Salmon with a sticky, smoky-sweet glaze
Both are simple enough for a weeknight, yet impressive enough for a special dinner. Let's get cooking.
Recipe 1: Mānuka Honey & Chilli Roast Pumpkin Salad
This salad is pure winter comfort. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the pumpkin, and the honey-chilli glaze adds a gorgeous caramelised finish. The result? A dish that's both nourishing and packed with flavour.
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Parakai Mānuka Honey
1 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
100g feta or goat cheese, crumbled
A handful of fresh rocket or spinach
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds or walnuts
Method:
Preheat your oven to 200°C.
In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin wedges with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes.
Arrange on a baking tray in a single layer. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until golden and tender.
Drizzle the Parakai Mānuka Honey over the pumpkin and return to the oven for a final 5–7 minutes, allowing the honey to caramelise and create a sticky, golden glaze.
Arrange the roasted pumpkin on a bed of fresh rocket or spinach. Top with crumbled feta and toasted seeds.
Serve warm, with an extra drizzle of honey if desired.
Why Parakai Honey makes the difference: Our Mānuka honey doesn't just add sweetness – it brings a depth of flavour that complements the earthiness of the pumpkin and the heat of the chilli. It creates a rich, caramelised glaze that transforms simple roasted vegetables into a dish with real complexity.
Recipe 2: Mānuka Honey & Smoky Chipotle Salmon
This is one of those recipes that looks like you've spent hours in the kitchen – but comes together in under 20 minutes. The honey glaze balances the intense smokiness of the chipotle, creating a sweet-heat combination that clings to the salmon beautifully.
Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets (skin on)
2 tbsp Parakai Mānuka Honey
1 tbsp chipotle paste (or smoked paprika + a pinch of chilli)
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lime wedges, to serve
Method:
Preheat your oven to 200°C (or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat).
In a small bowl, whisk together the Parakai Mānuka Honey, chipotle paste, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Pat the salmon fillets dry and place them on a lined baking tray (or grill pan).
Brush the honey-chipotle glaze generously over each fillet, reserving a little for serving.
Roast for 10–12 minutes (or grill for 5–7 minutes per side), basting with the reserved glaze halfway through, until the salmon is cooked through and the glaze is sticky and caramelised.
Serve with fresh lime wedges and a squeeze of juice over the top.
Why Parakai Honey makes the difference: The UMF 5+ Mānuka honey in our glaze doesn't just sweeten – it mellows the fierce heat of the chipotle, creating a perfectly balanced, deeply savoury flavour. It also helps the glaze stick to the salmon and creates that irresistible glossy, slightly charred finish.
Both of these recipes show that Parakai Mānuka Honey belongs at the savoury table. It's a versatile, flavour-enhancing ingredient that turns the ordinary into something special.
Try one this week – and let us know which dish you're cooking first! 🧡
