“There’s Ina Garten’s famous Engagement Roast Chicken recipe—and then there’s this less-intense, equally useful boyfriend salmon. Think: St. Louis-style barbecue sauce (my hometown, thank you) meets crispy-skin salmon and a cooking technique that looks impressive but is nearly impossible to mess up. It’s the salmon to get your boyfriend down with salmon. It will at least lock him in for four more dates because he’ll think you’re a fish genius. (But also, gender is a construct, and cooking for a man is antiquated, so if you’re in the mood to fight the patriarchy, just make this salmon for yourself.)” – writes Justine Doiron in her cookbook, Justine Cooks: A Cookbook Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen.
Salmon cooking tips from Doiron’s recipe
How can I tell when my salmon is done?
Bake salmon until it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F.
How do I make crispy skin on baked salmon?
For this recipe, Doiron says to set a large ovenproof pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of grapeseed oil. Season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides and place skin-side down in the pan. Cook until the skin gets golden around the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Then bake in a pre-heated 450°F oven.
Should I bake salmon skin-side up or down?
For this recipe, salmon is cooked skin-side down so that the fillet becomes crispy. When salmon is cooked, it’s flipped onto a plate to expose the crispy, golden skin side.
Boyfriend Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 4 skin-on salmon fillets about 1 pound
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Set a large ovenproof pan over medium heat and add the grapeseed oil. Season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides and place skin-side down in the pan. Cook until the skin gets golden around the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, cayenne, and ¼ cup water.
- Set a medium pan over medium heat and add the butter. Let it melt and begin to brown slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the fish sauce mixture. Turn off the heat and stir to combine, seasoning with a generous pinch of salt.
- When the salmon is out of the oven, gently flip it into the pan with the sauce, exposing the crispy skin side. Transfer to a plate, taking a scoop of sauce for each fillet, and pooling any additional sauce around and on top of the salmon.
