My previous collection features fish all but salmon, and this week I’m getting even. Salmon, the nation’s favourite fish, is easy to cook and full of nutrients – no wonder bears feast on it before hibernating. And you (unlike bears) can prepare it in more ways than you probably expect.
The only caveat with salmon is: don’t overcook it. When that happens, it becomes sad, dry and stringy. If you use a digital probe, internal temperature of a perfectly cooked salmon fillet should read between 45 and 50C (113 to 122F). Since it continues cooking when off the heat, you should snatch your fillet when it’s still 5C or 8F short of the mark. If you have no probe - just mind the cooking times religiously.
Here’s my short but swimmingly good collection of salmon recipes.
Arguably the best and certainly the simplest way with salmon fillets: seasoned with just salt, pepper and olive oil, they are grilled with skin on (even if you discard it later) to keep the flesh moist and succulent.
In my view, this is the classic salmon preparation: sweet and salty glaze makes the fatty salmon taste divine. It will benefit from marinating in the mixture for as long as possible, but will cook perfectly through in less than 10 minutes.
Salmon with maple syrup glaze
RECIPE
Does blue cheese go with salmon? Like a wink and a smile! And the fancy ‘en papillote’ means simply a salmon fillet baked wrapped in a foil parcel. This method makes it very hard to overcook (i.e. spoil) the fish.
Salmon with blue cheese en papillote
RECIPE
For those (especially the young ones) who prefer their fish in the shape of a patty, this is the perfect solution. No potatoes in the mix, just a handful of breadcrumbs to keep the burger together.
Lettuce leaf wrapped salmon is an easy-but-impressive dish, on top of being enormously healthy. As an everyday meal, it also makes a nice change from the grilled/baked salmon fillets we usually have.
It’s a kind of a riff on fish pie, but so much leaner and easier! A few boiled potatoes and raw salmon pieces cut into chunks, a simple topping of crème fraiche, mustard and a pinch of Parmesan and it’s ready in 10 minutes.
Salmon fillet cooked with oyster sauce and a touch of brown sugar is the perfect umami storm. The fish is gently simmered in the sweet and salty sauce with spring onions and crushed garlic, and it’s ready in 10 minutes.
Cured salmon, or gravadlax, is excellent value when prepared at home. Simply get spanking fresh salmon, grate some beetroot and horseradish if you can get it, and in a few days’ time the nicest cured salmon will be ready to consume.
Shakshuka is not just a brunch dish, and it doesn’t have to have eggs in it! Rich and chunky tomato, pepper and onion spiced with cumin, bay and saffron, and instead of eggs, pieces of fresh salmon are coddled in the fragrant sauce.
This recipe can be a weeknight dinner or a party dish. Salmon roasted in a very low oven comes out beautifully tasty and juicy, pretty much like cooked sous-vide and definitely better than traditionally poached. A simple dill sauce on the side, et voilà!
Slow roasted salmon with dill sauce
RECIPE
Another proposition for a party dish, or just because you fancy salmon cooked in a lighter way. Steaming salmon wrapped in cling film (making sure it’s labelled as suitable for microwave and steaming) retains moisture and the seasoning of dill, soy sauce and chillies gives it a great flavour.
Can you stir fry fish? Absolutely: this is a very easy recipe for stir-fried salmon with lemon and ginger, and it's best served with noodles. The sauce is made with caramelised lemon, palm sugar and ginger and it’s divine.