“She’s pretty, isn’t she?” writes food stylist and recipe developer Jason Skrobar in this recipe featured in his new cookbook, The Book of Sandwiches: Delicious to the Last Bite: Recipes for Every Sandwich Lover. “Not all sandwiches can say they wear a billowing crown of cucumber ribbons, but this one sure can! A lot is going on here; some may be tempted to say too much, but trust me, dear readers, every part of her is meant to be there. The tangy citrus BBQ sauce that the salmon has been encased in kisses the aioli, and let me tell you, if you’re a fan of saucy sandwiches, this one will have you singing! Not to mention the crunch and salt from the pancetta and the freshness of the cucumber. I just decided this sandwich might win best in show!” You’ll have some BBQ sauce left over – Skrobar says it can be stored in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks and used on everything from wings to burgers to homemade pizza and even roasted vegetables.
BBQ Salmon Sandwiches
Ingredients
Citrus BBQ Sauce
- 1½ cups ketchup
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- zest and juice of 1 orange
- ¼ cup dark molasses
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp sriracha optional
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp liquid smoke optional
Lemon Garlic Aioli
- 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 3 cloves garlic finely grated
- 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
- juice of ½ lemon
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Salmon
- 4 4–6 oz (115–170 g) skin-on salmon fillets
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
Assembly
- 4 ciabatta buns sliced in half and toasted
- 8-12 slices pancetta crisped
- 1 cucumber shaved into thin ribbons
Instructions
Citrus BBQ Sauce
- In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the ketchup, lime and orange juices (not the zest quite yet!), molasses, vinegar, sriracha (if using), Worcestershire, Dijon, paprika, onion powder, salt, garlic powder and liquid smoke (if using). Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lime and orange zest. Set aside.
Lemon Garlic Aioli
- Place the egg yolks, garlic, Dijon and lemon juice in a large mason jar or the container of your immersion blender. To make the aioli, you need to emulsify it. Emulsifying is taking two liquids that do not usually mix – in this case, the oil and the egg yolks (yolks are 50% water) – and turning them into a semi-stable mixture. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and use your immersion blender to blend, moving it up and down until the aioli has thickened. Add the lemon juice, blend for a few seconds more to combine and season with salt and set aside.
Salmon
- Crispy skin is what we’re looking for here. Pat the salmon fillets with a paper towel, ensuring all sides are nice and dry. Rub a bit of oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil in the pan begins to shimmer, place two salmon fillets skin side down in the pan, pressing them down firmly, and cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes; you want to make sure that the skin is crispy and releases from the pan easily.
- Carefully flip the salmon fillets so they are skin side up. Slather the skin and sides with the citrus BBQ sauce and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once more so the salmon skin is again kissing the pan, and slather the other side with a generous amount of BBQ sauce. Cook for 30 seconds more. Remove the salmon from the pan and repeat with the two remaining fillets. Let the cooked salmon rest for a few minutes before assembling the sandwich.
Assembly
- Spread a generous amount of aioli on each of the top and bottom halves of each bun. Layer the sandwich by placing a salmon fillet on the bottom bun, followed by two or three slices of crispy pancetta, some cucumber ribbons and the top bun. Enjoy!
