Salmon. All the Ways

Smoked. Grilled. Poached. Cured. Broiled. All great ways to cook and prepare the popular and versatile Salmon. Let’s look at a way to combine some aspects of these preparations that will elevate a simple Salmon fillet to new heights. Sadly, Salmon is usually boring and overcooked at most restaurants, or chewy and not fresh from your local sushi joint.

Let’s start with a simple marinade for a fillet that is my absolute Go To for almost any fish. It’s a mixture of:

• Mirin

• White Soy (optional, highly recommended)

• Ponzu

• White Miso Paste

• Neutral cooking oil (Grapeseed preferably, but olive works too)

  Optional additions: Herbs, citrus zest, spice rub

Whisk ingredients, liberally coat, and let set for 15 minutes to an hour.

Pat dry. Drizzle with a little more oil, and place on a parchment lined sheet tray. Place under a high broiler on the second rack. Depending on the thickness of your fillet or steak your time will vary. For an average sized piece I’d recommend about 3-4 minutes. You should be looking for color on top and the flesh should be turning opaque. The sweetness in the Mirin and the Miso paste should aid in the browning on top while the flesh has a chance to gently cook, a result of the gentle heat throughout the oven everywhere but the surface exposed to the broiler. Cook the salmon to the temperature of your liking, and you can even play around with other cooking techniques like grilling and pan roasting. The 2 keys to this approach to Salmon are the marinade and the unidirectional heat source. No flipping so you get the best of both worlds. The concentrated great charred Salmon flavor from the top surface, and the slow cooked tender texture throughout the rest of the flesh.

A useful way to portion for uniform cooking

Marinade with herbs