crispy- skinned salmon fillet

• total tid: total time 20 minutes

Ingredienser

1 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on salmon fillet, 1 inch thick

⅛ teaspoon table salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

Lemon wedges

Vejledning

1 Pat salmon dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place fillet, skin side down, in cold 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. Cook fillet, without moving it, until skin is golden brown and bottom ¼ inch of fillet turns opaque,

6 to 8 minutes.

2 Using 2 spatulas, flip fillet skin side up and continue to cook without moving it until golden brown and bottom ¼ inch of fillet turns opaque, about 3 minutes. Flip fillet onto 1 side and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Flip fillet onto final side and cook, continuing to flip as needed, until salmon registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), about 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Notater

kitchen improv

use what you've got You can substitute wild salmon or arctic char (cook to 120 degrees).

spice it up Add a spice rub (see page 72) to the salmon with the salt and pepper in step 1.

get saucy Serve the salmon with a creamy Yogurt Sauce (page 69) or Mint Sauce (page 68).

why this recipe works A perfectly seared piece of salmon with a moist interior, crispy skin, and golden exterior is at home in a variety of applications, whether on its own, flaked over a salad, or accompanied by any number of vegetables, grains, or pastas. It's easy to keep it light by serving it over greens with pepitas and shaved fennel, or take it in a heartier direction with Roasted Feta Potatoes (page 108). To keep things simple for this versatile fish and avoid overcooking, we started by placing the seasoned salmon skin side down in a cold, dry nonstick skillet, and then set the burner to medium heat. The skin protected the fish from drying out while cooking and rendered to a flavorful crisp sheath (though you can easily choose to peel it off and discard once the fish is cooked). The skin's rendered fat also enabled us to sear the remaining sides of the fish (a necessary step when cooking a single piece) without any additional oil. Buy fish from the seafood counter to avoid having to buy a larger quantity. See pages 16-17 for more shopping tips.