The Perfect Salmon (in under 10 minutes)

It’s hard to believe that you can really make fast food, healthy and almost “gourmet.” As I mentioned in the “How to Buy (and select) Fish” post, we didn’t grow up eating fish on a daily basis. And it really wasn’t until I interned under chef Maxine Siu from Plow that I learned the simple cooking techniques to a great piece of protein.

Swapping out the cooking oils and simplifying the seasoning to just sea salt, pepper, and lemon, here’s our take on the perfect piece of salmon…all doable in under 10 minutes (with a yummy crispy skin).

The Perfect Salmon

Ingredients

1 4oz. piece of wild salmon
1 teaspoon coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
fresh lemon juice

Steps

1. Rinse the piece of salmon and pat dry.
2. Season the flesh-side of the salmon with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. In a skillet, over medium-high heat, melt ½ teaspoon coconut oil.
4. Once completely melted, place the salmon flesh-side down and cook for about 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown. (Take a peek at the side of the fish. You can see it cook from the bottom up.)
5. Salt and pepper the skin-side while the flesh side is cooking.
6. When the salmon is about ½ way cooked (look from the side), use a spatula, lift the salmon, and add the remaining coconut oil to the pan. Flip the fish over (skin-side down) and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the thickest part of the fish is firm, but not too hard.

Serves 1

NOTE: You can cook it longer if you prefer a more well-done piece of fish.

More on fish…

• Ginger Baked Cod with Bok Choy and Mushrooms (Cooking fish in parchment paper)
• How to (buy) and select fish