Simple Pan-Seared Salmon

Serves 4

Ingredients :
4 skin-on salmon fillets, each about 6 ounces and 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil

Cooking Method :

1) Heat a 12 inch heavy bottomed skillet for 3 minutes over high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and ground black pepper.

2) Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. When oil shimmers (but does not smoke) add fillets skin side down and cook, without moving fillets, until pan regains lost heat, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue to cook until skin side is well browned and bottom half of fillets turns opaque, 4 1/2 minutes. Turn fillets and cook, without moving them, until they are no longer translucent on the exterior and are firm, but not hard, when gently squeezed: 3 minutes for medium rare and 3 1/2 minutes for medium. Remove fillets from pan; let stand 1 minute. Pat with paper towel to absorb excess fat on surface, if desired. Serve immediately.

With the addition of the fish fillets, the pan temperature drops; compensate for the heat loss by keeping the heat on medium-high for 30 seconds after adding them. If cooking two or three fillets instead of the full recipe of four, use a 10-inch skillet and medium-high heat for both preheating the pan and cooking the salmon. A splatter screen helps reduce the mess of pan-searing. Serve salmon with the chutney (below), a fresh salsa, and herb-spiked vinaigrette, or squirt of lemon or lime.

Pan-Seared Butterflied Salmon

Serves 4

Some folks savor crisp salmon skin as a treat, while others simply won't eat it. For those who do not fancy the skin, butterflying the salmon fillets is an excellent idea. This is not recommended for skin lovers, because the skin is never exposed to the heat, so it never crisps. For those who want to avoid the skin, however, the advantage is that both sides of the flesh get a good sear, so there is twice as much of the brown, flavorful crust.

Butterfly salmon fillets and follow cooking instructions for Simple Pan-Seared Salmon, cooking fillets for one minute less on the first side.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Sesame Seed Crust

For heightened sesame flavor, rub the fish fillets with Asian sesame oil instead of canola or vegetable. If you pair this variation with butterflied fillets, double the quantity of sesame seeds and coat both sides of each fillet.

Spread 1/4 cup sesame seeds in a pie plate. Follow recipe for Simple Pan-Seared Salmon, rubbing fillets with 2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil, sprinkling with salt and ground black pepper, then pressing flesh sides of fillets in sesame seeds to coat. Continue with recipe, being careful not to break sesame crust when removing fillets from pan.

Sweet and Sour Chutney with Onions and Warm Spices

Makes about 1/3 cup, enough for 4 salmon fillets

Since it takes several minutes to make this chutney, prepare it before cooking the salmon. A little of this intensely flavored condiment goes a long way.

Ingredients :

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Cooking Method :

Mix fennel, cumin, coriander, cardamom, paprika, and salt in small bowl; set aside. Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat; saute; onion until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add reserved spice mixture; saute; until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium-high and add vinegar, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water; cook until mixture reduces by about one=third and reaches a syrupy consistency, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in parsley and serve chutney as a topping for pan-seared salmon fillets.

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