Salmon Steak

I'm not a big fan of sea food, and I rarely cook 'em. But I'm a sucker for deals and that happened last weekend when I bought a gorgeous salmon tail fillet for just a fraction of restaurant's price. It had been sitting in my freezer for three days and I needed to do something about it.

I did an experiment to get rid of the fishy smell. Salmon has a strong aroma and flavor. The smell can linger in my kitchen for days, especially when pan-fried. So, I did an experiment by quick-boiling the fillet for a short time. This way the fish will lose its strong smell, but it's not yet cooked so I can still pan-fry it to bring out the flavor.

Here's the gorgeous fillet frozen...


And here it is after cleaning and a few minutes of thawing. I was actually impatient to thaw it completely. So, I went right away to boil it.


Boiling while it's still frozen turned out to be a good idea. The flesh was still firm and it would not break apart. Another important thing is to boil it in a bubbling but not boiling water (with an assumption that hot boiling water might cause some destruction to the fragile flesh)


About less than five minutes later, the outer part of the fish was getting whitish already, but the inside is still raw. I'm happy that it still retained its shape (not for a long time though ;p)


I seasoned it with generous amount of olive oil, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika powder, and a little bit of dried Italian herbs.


After heating 3 tbs of olive oil over low heat with a sprinkle of salt, I happily placed the fillet skin down first. It looked gorgeous and seemed to end up just like how I'd imagined it.


Five minutes later, I tried to flip the fillet but ouch! The skin stuck on the pan! I had to cut it into two, and found that the middle part was not cooked yet (see the red streaks between the seasonings). It's painful to see your imagination crumble. I should have used a non-stick pan.


This was after I flipped the cuts the second time. The seasonings would not stick to the fish T.T


About seven minutes in total, they were pretty much done. I managed to scrape the skin off the pan, fiuhhh... But my mistake turned to be a good thing. The skin was crispy and great!


The delicious crispy skin was a great garnish. I'm glad that everything still turned out pretty despite the messy process :) I use Teriyaki sauce, wasabi and onion cheese spread as accompaniments to the dish. Yum!


I took a bite..and smile. Hmm... it's good! Enakkk! I guess having salmon steak once a week should be a good idea. It's healthy and easy to make. And maybe I should start shopping for a non-stick pan too...One thing I learned today: behind every wonderful dish, there might be a messy kitchen at the background.



Easy Salmon Steak (even easier if cooked in a non-stick pan)

Ingredients:
salmon fillet seasoned with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika powder and a little dried Italian herb
3 tbs olive oil for pan-fry
a dash of salt to season the olive oil

Sauce:
Teriyaki sauce
Wasabi paste
Onion cheese spread

Method:
Quick boil the salmon in a bubbling water for about 3 to 5 minutes, take out from pan, set aside. Coat the salmon with olive oil, the rub the seasoning generously all over the fillet.

Heat 3 tbs of olive oil in a pan (better be non-stick) over a low heat, place the fillet carefully skin down first. Flip the fish after five minutes of cooking. Drizzle to top side with more olive oil and seasonings.

Once the flesh is firm and slightly brown, turn off the heat and arrange the fish on a plate. Serve with rice, teriyaki sauce, wasabi and onion cheese spread.