Salmon as I have written earlier is one of my favourite fish. The taste, the colour and the ease with which it can be cooked, makes it on top of the list for me, even though I must say it’s quite heavy on the pocket. It is advisable that out of two recommended portions of fish weekly, one should be an oily fish. This N. Atlantic and Pacific anadromous fish, rich in Omega 6 and 3 makes an excellent oily fish. The omega 6 and 3 are said to be essential for heart health, prevention of diabetes and certain types of cancer and generally for healthy growth and repair of the body cells.

Typically salmon, with its beautiful silvery grey skin and black speckles concentrated on the top, makes it easy to distinguish. Depending on the variety, the weight can vary from 4 lbs. to 30 lbs. Similarly the size can vary from 2 to 5 feet.

As far as preparation is concerned, it’s the simplest fish to make, however, don’t get fooled it’s the trickiest to get right. A well-cooked fillet should be moist from the inside, neither raw nor dry and should be evenly coloured throughout. For that, it’s best to get even sized fillets. Also for me the key is to use a good quality non-stick pan. Now, there is nothing stopping you from sampling this fish in its most delicious and simplest form.

Ingredients:

  •  4 salmon fillets
  •  1 tablespoon oil
  •  Salt, to taste
  •  4 lemon wedges
  • Preparation time : 5 minutes
  • Cooking time : 15 minutes

Instructions:

  • Pour the oil in the pan and let it heat through on a medium low heat.
  •  Make diagonal cuts on the skin side of the fillet.
  •  Sprinkle salt on both sides.
  •  Place the skin-side first on the pan and let it cook till you notice the salmon changing colour from the sides. When the change in colour has almost reached halfway flip on to the other side. This should take about 3-5 minutes. The skin should be golden-brown and crisp.
  •  Cook the other side as well for around 3 minutes, checking that the colour change is even and the flesh side is mostly light pink with hints of golden brown in it. The trick is to not cook the same side twice.
  •  When it’s done, flip the skin side up. Squeeze lemon juice on it. The herb, dill is also usually paired with salmon, but that’s optional.

I am a self-taught cook, with of course lots of help and encouragement from my mommy and a tremendous amount of support from my hubby. Cooking is cathartic for me; it relaxes me and the sense of achievement I get after a well cooked meal is second-to-none. Teamed up with my love for reading and writing,its pure joy. Most of my recipes are my mother’s -she is my greatest inspiration and go-to person for culinary emergencies (we all have them, don’t we?)- and from magazines such as Good Housekeeping and Hello. Having spent a couple of years in South-east Asia, (read Singapore and Malaysia), I caught a very oriental bug. Which is…which is… well its using my cell phone to take snaps of the meals I am about to gobble up. In my defense, it’s strictly limited to my travels abroad. For that, I have dedicated a picture blog called ‘Food Casserole.’