Friday, February 17, 2012

Favorite Friday--Salmon!

Missy, here. And I've been dying to share my favorite salmon recipe with you. I've been making it this way for several years, and my family loves it! I first saw the recipe on Ina Garten's show, The Barefoot Contessa. Click here to see the original recipe. It's SO EASY! And quick. And better than anything you'll get in a restaurant. So...here we go...



Ingredients:
Salmon filets (try to get them similar in size)
Olive oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh-ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Use a heavy skillet that can also go in the oven (mine is 18/10 stainless steel). Preheat the skillet over high heat for 4 minutes. It'll be smoking hot. You're doing it correctly. :)

While it's heating, rub both sides of the filets with olive oil, then season the tops generously with salt and pepper. Once the pan is heated, place the filets seasoned side down in the pan (skin side up). Turn heat down to medium high. Cook for EXACTLY 2 minutes. (I have to set a timer or I'll get sidetracked.) And don't move the fish before 2 minutes because it'll stick. After the 2 minutes, it'll release.


Flip them over, and you'll find a gorgeous brown crust. Pop the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 5-7 minutes. I do 7 minutes since I don't like mine rare. If they're unusually thick, you may need another minute or two.


I have a nice thin spatula that I can slip right between the meat of the fish and the skin to slide the fish right off. This makes the most tender, moist salmon with a perfect crust! And it's so, so easy and quick.



17 comments:

  1. Missy, one time I had salmon and loved it. The next time I had it and hated it and haven't trusted it since.

    And it wasn't the sauce, it was the fish. Are there different kinds in the store? I know there's red sockeye salmon, so was that the problem, that the place I had it was using bad/cheap salmon?

    Sign me,

    Confused in the Great Lakes

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  2. I've had salmon twice and didn't like it either time - and it was the fish itself. I want to like the stuff since it's supposed to be healthy but just seeing the skin on it makes me feel queasy (and nope I don't touch whole chickens and I practically run by any display of fish with the heads on - and don't even mention shrimp...) I do like tilapia(fillets not with the head!)

    ok off to start the chilies i'm making today - turkey/black bean/tomato base and a new recipe for chicken breast, white beans and salsa verde - wish me luck! a city full of hispanics and I can't find a good salsa verde except at the breakfast taco places and they sell it with the tacos which I'm trying to avoid!
    Susanna

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  3. Ruthy, yes! There are different kinds. There's wild Alaskan/sockeye salmon (which I love and which is the one that's so good for you.) It's darker red and "stronger." Then there's the farm raised (which my family loves). The farm raised is milder and probably a better choice for someone who's disliked salmon before. I'd suggest giving it one more try!

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  4. Susanna, I LOVE salsa verde! You'll have to let me know if you find a great recipe. Of course, going to buy some would be a great excuse for that taco you're avoiding. :)

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  5. man I'm tempted to go for a 3rd try...sigh...it looks sooo good in the pictures.
    honestly I think I'm prejudiced against salmon regardless because my mom used to every so oftn(thankfully not monthly!) make these nasty salmon patties - my dad liked them - and the only good thing is she made mac and cheese to go with them...even with ketchup I couldn't get them down!
    susanna

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    1. My sister used to make the salmon patties from cans of red sockeye salmon. And I loved those. The salmon, an egg/can salt, pepper, tarragon... And some bread crumbs, just enough to hold it all together. and then you'd pan fry them (kind of like crab cakes, but a nicer consistency than a lot of crab cakes). I loved those salmon patties. Now Susanna's got me yearnin' away here, LOL!

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    2. Those sound yummy, Ruthy! We always make ours with crushed up saltines instead of bread crumbs. Will have to try adding tarragon. And pan fry, of course. :)

      Then I make a white gravy and add frozen peas. It makes the patties even better!

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  6. MIssy my 'recipe for salsa verde this time is 'la costena' - cute little can LOL! last time Ig ot a bottle of Herdez and hated it. there's a crockpot blog - stephanie o'dea's - where she has a chili verde(might be similar to this one) and she does her own in it starting with tomatilloas (I have no idea where to find these - never did find a shallot for that other recipe either!) heck couldn't find green onions yesterday either at wally world but at least I know what those are (my mom used to make scrambled eggs and green onions - in butter - yum - the only time she used butter with eggs - guess it was to saute the chopped green onions!) we loved that stuff and yes she kept it rare and special! even more so than the biscuits and gravy special meal - though I suspect it's because my grandpa and them didn't have a garden after he moved to a duplex and green onions probably didn't grow very long.
    Susanna

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  7. LOL, Susanna!! I LOVE salmon patties! With pea sauce. YUM! But I can see why you might not like them.

    You wouldn't believe how strange I am. I even like to eat the salmon out of the can--and crunch on the little bones! (Gosh, I'm wondering if I should admit that online!)

    :)

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  8. Oooh, Chili verde sounds yummy. Will check out her blog!

    LOL on the la costena. :) That's what I've had so far, too. I did go buy tomatillas once but never did make the recipe. Maybe it's time to be brave and try it.

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  9. bones? there are bones in canned salmon?! I'm gonna be sick I think...sotpped eating sardines once I found that out around age 5...
    Susanna

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    1. :) Yes. Sorry to make you ill. LOL

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    2. Shh... Rest, dearie. Of course there are no bones. They can't even hardly be CALLED bones, because they turn to like.. dust. Bone dust. Kind of like the stuff you find in a cript

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    3. Oh yes, Ruthy, that makes us feel SO much better!

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  10. Oooh, I have to try this recipe, Missy! I usually bake the salmon, but it comes out tasting rather flat and bland. I'll put the crust on next time.

    Whenever I eat salmon, though, I have to fix it for lunch. My dear husband hates fish - except fish sticks. He doesn't even like the smell of it cooking. So I fix it for lunch (the boys and I love it) and buy fish oil capsules for the hubby.

    And canned salmon? I leave it at the store. On the shelf. It can just stay there enjoying its boney little self.

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  11. LOL, Jan! See, I never should have admitted that I eat canned salmon online. It'll be out there in cyberspace for all of eternity. LOL

    Enjoy your salmon lunch! I may make it for lunch today. Or dinner tomorrow. Bought it yesterday so need to eat asap.

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