cabbagehead
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Salmon will always carry some parasites, and should always be completely cooked. Yes, you may have had salmon sushi, but this also has been cooked. Fully cooked salmon is pink in color and flakes apart easily. If you push against the skin side, it will feel firm.
When buying salmon, you want meat that is reddish-pink and translucent, with a firm texture and no fishy smell. Frozen salmon should have no evidence of frost on the inside of the package. Buy wild caught: It contains more omega-3 fatty acids and has a lot more flavor than farm-raised fish.
Salmon pairs exceptionally well with wine, sesame oil, citrus, and soy sauce. Any sauce or marinade based on these ingredients will work. Old Bay seasoning is good for grilling.
Grilling
Brush the sides of the fish with olive oil, and don't move it until it's ready to flip to prevent sticking. Cook at least four minutes per side.
Smoking
Fish that will be smoked should be brined overnight. Let the fish sit out for a couple hours in a cool place: this will form a salt layer on the surface called a pellicle. It's this layer that will capture the flavor from the smoke while helping retain some of the moisture inside the flesh. Salmon takes a much shorter time to cook than other meats, with fillets only needing an hour or so in a hot smoker.
Baking
Salmon works particularly well with pouch cooking.
Adding in some aromatics like onion works well, or you could just pour on a little bbq sauce or sesame oil on top. The fish needs to be wrapped in parchment paper: the heat will melt the wax off of wax paper, and aluminum foil will react with any acidic ingredients.
Posted 5392 day ago
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