Salmon 101

Did I mention I take requests?

Caryn left a comment on my Mother’s Day post asking how to smoke a salmon. (And no, you don’t roll it up and sneak into the basement with it.) Rather than leave a response, I thought I would do all my readers a solid by sharing with them my favorite ways to cook salmon. I am currently eating salmon three to four times a week for two reasons. One, it’s a superfood. And two, it rocks. Plain and simple. I LOVE salmon. I order it in restaurants. I bring leftovers for lunch. I look forward to eating it. I love, love, LOVE it.

So here we go:

First things first. Let’s buy some. You want to buy wild caught whenever possible. I know it’s more expensive, but it’s also nutritionally better for you and better for the whole sustainability thing. I have yet to find a frozen version that I like – I think they come out way too dry – but I know people who do buy frozen with great results (my mom for one). And unless you live very near the source (like Caryn), frozen is better nutritionally because all the goodness gets locked in as soon as it’s frozen. A lot of the “fresh” you buy in the store has already been frozen and thawed, so if you do buy “fresh”, eat it – don’t freeze it. The recipes that follow are made using “fresh” salmon. If you have to do any thawing, follow the directions on the package.

My simplest, healthiest way to cook salmon is as follows: Put some salmon fillets in a prepared baking dish. Squeeze the juice of one lemon (two if it’s a stingy lemon) over all fillets and sprinkle with dried or fresh dill. Cook for 20-25 minutes on 425, depending on how big your fillets are and how well done you like them. Salmon fillets are notorious for being really thin in some places and really thick in others, so it can be tricky to cook the thick part through without drying out the thin parts. Let it rest for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Another option is the same as above, but lose the lemon and dill and brush on some of your favorite sauce before cooking. I have successfully used BBQ sauce as well as a very thick tomato sauce. You want something that won’t run all over place – it needs to stick to the surface of the fish. If it’s a runny sauce, I would heat it up separately and top the salmon with it when it’s done. Or serve it on the side.

If you liked grilled salmon, try this Barefoot Contessa recipe. I let the fillets soak in the marinade for about twenty minutes before putting them on a hot grill pan and letting them cook for 7-10 minutes per side. The kitchen will smell awesome, but make sure you have your vent going, and you might want to open a window. It gets really smoky.

Finally, the much-ballyhooed smoked salmon. The first step is to acquire a smoker and someone who liked to play with charcoal and fire. (This is usually a man, but it doesn’t have to be.) We put plain salmon fillets on tin foil with a few holes poked here and there before putting them on the grill rack. They should smoke for about an hour, but again, this will depend on the size of the fillets, and how much heat you have going in your smoker.

I usually cook three to four fillets at a time, and serve two of us from one fillet. That means we eat four servings right away and then have two to four servings of leftovers. I keep the leftovers in the fridge and heat them up for lunch – it only takes about a minute. I like to eat them over baby spinach tossed in a mustard or balsamic vinaigrette. (The heat from the salmon wilts the spinach just enough but not too much.) I’ve also shredded the leftovers and tossed them with lettuce or pasta, or used the leftovers in a wrap. Cooking more than you plan to eat means you only cook salmon once a week, but get your two to three servings by eating the leftovers for lunch.

And before anyone asks, no, it doesn’t stink up my house. Or maybe it does, and I’m just not sensitive to the smell. But I’ve never had a problem with stinky fish smell. I have with other fish, but not salmon.

So there it is. These are my Salmon’s Greatest Hits. And most of these can use any firm white fish just as easily.

Eat up!