Spice Rubbed Salmon


Here are three variations to easy and delicious salmon. All are cooked the same way with different rubs. All three recipes use four 6 oz. salmon fillets, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Ingredients

  • Provencal Salmon
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon minced orange zest (bottled is fine)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butter
  •  
  • Porcini and Pumpkin Seed Salmon
  • 2 tablespoons raw, shelled pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons (roughly) dried porcini pieces
  • 2 tablespoons grape seed or other neutral oil or clarified butter
  •  
  • Four Spice Salmon
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seed or ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon whole or ground cloves
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seed or ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (less if using ground, dried nutmeg)

To cook spice-rubbed salmon:

Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Grind spices in a coffee or spice grinder. (Don’t wash fresh spices. They will stick and you are cooking off any impurities.) Press mixture into the top of each fillet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Preheat a large non-stick skillet (I like the square pan with ridges) over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the oil or clarified butter and when it shimmers, place the fillets, coated side down, in the pan. Cook for about one minute, or until the spice mixture forms a nicely browned crust.

Turn the fillets and cook about a minute more, transfer (in the same pan) to the oven. Cook about four minutes for rare salmon, five to six minutes for medium rare and eight minutes for well done.

Try variations: I lightly brush the salmon with “O” olive oil in the blood orange or Meyer Lemon flavor, add salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and a splash of tamari to the top and use the above cooking method. Depending on the condition of the pan, I may spray a little cooking spray on it immediately before adding the fish. Play with your own ideas.

Adapted from The New York Times, February 4, 1998
For the original recipe see
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30F1FFB345E0C778CDDAB0894D0494D81