Salmon is one of the most familiar of the food fishes and one of the tastiest. They are beautiful fish to look at when whole, and even more beautiful inside with the flesh ranging in colour from ivory to deep coral-pink depending on the source and variety.
It is a rich, oily fish full of flavour, but rarely overly “fishy” making it a favourite even among the not-so-big fans of fish. Overall farmed salmon has a more consistent and mild flavour compared its stronger flavoured and firmer textured wild counterpart. This is due to the controlled diet of the farmed fish, both are delicious.
Because of salmon’s naturally high fat content, it can be prepared using any cooking technique (although because of the fat content, deep-frying is not recommended) as long as you don’t overcook it. For best results, cook salmon to between medium-rare and medium, with a well-cooked exterior and a soft, tender, more pink centre. Fish retains heat and continues to cook after being removed from the heat source. To prevent drying out and over-doneness, stop cooking before the salmon reaches what you would consider done and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving or eating. The residual heat will finish the cooking.
Cooking times will vary depending on the cut and thickness of fish. A general rule is to cook salmon 10 minutes for every inch of thickness. Measure the fish (including stuffing) at the thickest section and calculate timing from there.
Recommendations for Cooking Salmon:
GRILL – Grill skin-on fillets, without turning and covering during the last 2 minutes of cooking to finish the top. Grill steaks the same way, turning once halfway through cooking to cook both sides evenly. Grill whole salmon, turning once halfway through cooking, keeping covered throughout cooking.
BROIL – Same instructions as for grilling. Not recommended for whole fish.
ROASTING – Slow roasting salmon fillets yields meltingly tender results. Roasting is great for whole fish.
PAN-FRY – Cook over a high heat with little added fat, use a wide, thin spatula to turn fish without breaking. Leave the skin on or remove it, it’s up to you.
STIR_FRY – Lightly coat cubes of salmon in cornstarch, using care when stirring to not break up fish pieces.
POACHING – Place fish in gently simmering lightly seasoned liquid, cover and maintain temperature at gentle simmer until done.
STEAMING – Place salmon on greased perforated rack over 1-2 inches of rapidly boiling water. Cover with a tight fitting lid, maintain boil throughout cooking time.
