SALMON 101
Okay, is it SA-MON or SAL-MON? I promise you I don't care. I'm saying SA-MON for the rest of my life 😆 Either way you pronounce it, if you cook, you've probably made it a time or two.
How was it? Perfect? Dry? Burnt? Raw? How to properly sear up a piece of salmon is one of the top questions I get asked. So, I put together some tips for flawless salmon. Here you go...
1. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the white stuff oozing out of your salmon is your fault. I get it, you didn't know what to do about it. You need not fret one meal longer!
First, it's called albumin. And it is coagulated (fluid changed to a solid- think jell-o) protein. It's perfectly safe, but not appetizing to look at. It comes from the muscle fibers of the fish and "coagulates at the surface when you cook it. An easy way to minimize it is a quick brine:
DIRECTIONS
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup water
Let it brine for 10 minutes... boom
2. Dry the fish. Pat paper towels over all sides of each piece of fish. You want your salmon as dry as possible--the dryer your fish, the better and easier it will cook.
3. Give it a press. Heat your pan over medium-high heat, add your preferred oil (be sure it has a high burn point) and season your salmon liberally with Tastic Spice*. When the oil is shimmering, lay one fillet of salmon skin-side down (or either side if skinless) into the pan and immediately do two things: Press the filet against the skillet with your fish spatula, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Pressing on the fish helps keep the skin in contact with the pan to ensure an evenly crisped surface.
4. Patience. It takes a minute to render the fat out of salmon skin until it's nice and crispy. Resist the temptation to turn up the heat and speed the process; keep it on medium-low and press it periodically. It takes about 6-8 minutes.
5. When you flip you're almost done. The majority of the cooking happens on the skin side. Once you flip, it only takes about another minute. Medium rare is 120 degrees and medium well is 130 degrees. (Grab a thermometer)
6. Citrus citrus citrus. Citrus and fish go together like Jordan and Pippen 🏀. When you flip, squeeze on the citrus. And don't be confined to lemon and lime. Try oranges, grapefruit and even mandarins. You'll be amazed by the pop of flavor. Finish with a pat of buttah, baste for a few seconds and you have flawless salmon every time.
* Tastic Spice is available HERE
Do me a favor? If you decide to be great and make this recipe, take a pic and share it on Instagram and tag me (@mrfoodtastic) and use the hashtag #mrfoodtastic so I can see just how amazing you are. I repost my favorite ones