It’s time to diversify America’s favorite fish: salmon. Whether your accustomed to baking it and serving it up with a few medallion potatoes, or you enjoy it sushi or poke-style, there are many ways to bring out the best in this fish without that fishy or overcooked taste.
The most important thing, as with any item you are buying at the store – or fishing off the shores of Alaska – is the quality of the fish. You want to make sure that the salmon doesn’t have that fishy smell to begin with, and if you can help it, it’s good to check the scales of the fish too. A nice and shiny texture is what your looking for.
When it comes to baking or sautéing your salmon, it helps to get ahold of fillets that are relatively the same thickness throughout. This helps your chances for an even cook.
One more important detail before we begin:
Let your salmon rest!
Like all cooked meat, salmon remains cooking even after you’ve taken it off the burner. This is the biggest mistake most people make and it leads to dry, overcooked fish. While it is still moist, take it off the heat and cover it, letting it rest 10 minutes. This will allow things to finish up without drying it out. Trust in the process!
So if you’re interested in not ruining your dinner, we’ve got three essential salmon recipes that will leave your family and friends swimming upstream for more.
Salmon #1: The Baked Salmon
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients: (for 1 large fillet)
1 salmon filet
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
8 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place your fillet on top. You will be folding this over the salmon later to help hold in that moisture.
- Measure your butter, lemon juice, garlic, and dill and mix it together in a small bowl. Keep in mind this recipe is for a large fillet, so be sure to adjust if your are going with anything smaller.
- Pour the mixture over salmon and fold the foil over, pinching the sides and ends together. Be sure to completely cover the salmon to keep the moisture inside.
- Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. It’s all about the thickness of the fillet here, so if you are working with a thinner cut of fish, it’s best to take it out closer to the 15 minute mark.
Salmon #2: The Pan-Seared Salmon
Cook Time: 8-12 minutes
Ingredients:
small salmon fillet
kosher salt (sea salt will do)
grape seed oil (canola oil or butter will do as well)
Directions:
- Pat your salmon dry and season it with kosher salt, making sure to season it on all sides.
- Heat your pan on high and add in your oil. 2-3 Tbsp. Will do.
- Placing the fish down away from you, lay it into the pan. Turn the heat to medium or medium-high and allow the fillet to cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Look for that opaque color to travel up the side of the fish. Once it reaches about halfway, and a golden-brown crust begins to form on the bottom, turn it over. Remember to do this facing away from you again. You don’t want any of that oil to splash on you!
- If one end of your salmon is a bit thicker, use your spatula to lift off the thinner end, allowing the rest to cook through evenly.
- Once that opaque color surrounds the edges of your fillet, take the fish out of the pan and set it on a plate covered with a paper towel. If you are working with a cooking thermometer, 140 degrees is the internal temperature you’re looking for.
Salmon #3: The Sushi/Poke Salmon
Okay, so for starters the FDA recommends freezing your fish for 7 days before preparing it for sushi/poke in order to kill off any parasites.
“Freezing and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time)”
So plan ahead and let’s get started!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 skinned salmon fillet
a sharp fillet knife
If you are preparing this with the skin still attached. Watch this video here for the perfect cut.
- Place your de-thawed salmon on a cutting board. Pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Notice with your fillet that one side is thinner than the other. The thinner side is known as the “belly” side, as this is closer to the stomach of the fish. You will begin your cuts here at a slight angle. Pull the knife toward you slowly, pressing your opposite hand against the side of the fillet for a clean cut. Please be careful here!
- Once you reach the thicker part of the fish, cut against the grain with the same precise pulling motion. You want your slices to be roughly 1/4 inch thick.
For our favorite poke recipe with a killer sriracha mayo, click here.
And there you have it! Prepare your salmon in any of these three ways and consider how you can add your own special touch to make it uniquely your’s!
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