Cajun Blackened Salmon

Pan blackened salmon with a Cajun twist on flavor. With so many ways to prepare salmon, this one is easy as the spicing is all in one container from Zatarain's. Sprinkle it liberally for a great Cajun taste.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Salmon fillets 6 to 8 oz.
Zatarain's Blackened Seasoning
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
olive oil spray

PREPARATION:

Wash the salmon thoroughly and trim off any fat around the edges, and pat dry with a paper towel. Lay the salmon onto a plate or cutting board and spray a light misting of olive oil spray, or a light coating of olive oil.

Grind on some fresh black pepper and a lot of Blackened Seasoning. It is quite SPICY! The more the better. So give the fish a nice, even coating of blackened seasoning.* Try to get some on the sides of the fillet as well. And finish up with one last misting of that spray olive oil. The spray keeps the spices in place when putting the fish in the pan.

COOKING:

Place a heavy frying pan on the burner and set the heat on medium high (7 to 8)

When the rim is hot, drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil into the frying pan. Allow it to warm, then gently lay the fish into it, flesh side down. Leave it there for a 5 to 7 minutes (1" thick) without moving it.

After 6 minutes, lift the fillets and look at the underside of the salmon. If it’s as dark as you want it, flip it over onto the skin side. Continue frying for 2 to 3 minute or so, then turn the heat down to very low or off and letting the residual heat gently finish cooking the middle, 3-5 minutes should do it. Scoop out and serve.

*Several shakes of the blackened seasoning are needed to get the full flavor.

Salmon Piccata

Here is my interpretation of Salmon Piccata. It differs in that the shallots, red pepper flakes and lemon zest along with the Italian Seasonings add a nice zip to this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Salmon fillets, 1-inch thick (6 to 8 oz)
2 tsp capers, drained
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 large shallot
1 large garlic clove
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasonings
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
cracked black pepper

PREPARATION:

Salmon from the Columbia River is excellent for this recipe. Wash salmon fillets checking for bones, remove any loose scales, pat dry. Peel the garlic and shallot and thinly slice breaking into ringlets. Crush the Italian seasonings in a mortar and pestle. Zest 1/2 the lemon, then squeeze 1 Tbsp of lemon juice. Prepare the red pepper by cutting about 4 dried hot peppers in quarters, scrape off the loosened seeds and discard. Finely chop the remaining pepper flakes. Measure out the remaining ingredients.

Lightly pepper both sides of salmon with cracked pepper.

COOKING:

Heat a non stick sauté pan over med-high heat. When the rim is warm to the touch, add 1 tbsp olive oil and continue heating. Put salmon in the pan flesh side down. Sear the fish for 2 min. then flip it over. Continue cooking for about 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets or how you like your salmon prepared. When the internal temperature registers 135-140 degrees F. Remove the fillets to a serving dish and loosely tent with aluminum foil while the sauce finishes up.

Sauce:

At the same time, in a separate skillet, melt the butter and add one Tbsp of olive oil over med heat. When the butter is melted, add the shallot and then the Garlic, cook until shallots are soft and garlic starts to lightly brown. Add white wine, red pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, and seasoning and simmer another minute.

Ladle sauce over salmon and garnish with lemon slices.

Grilled Columbia River Salmon

The Coho salmon I grilled came from the Columbia River, the best we can get here in Arizona. The capers are essential as they add just the touch on texture.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 to 1 lb Columbia River or other wild salmon filet (Not Sockeye Salmon)
1 lemon
2-1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
dash cyan pepper powder
1 Tbs. capers, drained
pepper grinder

PREPARATION:

Press the garlic in garlic press. Cut 3 thin slices from the center of the lemon then cut in half. Juice the ends of the lemon, drain the capers.

Wash the Salmon thoroughly, checking for bones. Cut off any visible fat then pat dry and set aside for now. Add juice lemon, olive oil, garlic and cyan pepper to a glass dish large enough to hold the salmon filet and mix marinade thoroughly. Place filet flesh side down on marinade. Rub a bit of the marinade on the skin side, cover and let sit for 30-45 minutes.

Prepare your chimney starter and set it ablaze. When fames are coming out the top, dump it into the grill at one end only. Put the grill racks on the grill and let them heat for about 5 min. or so. Coat the end over the coals with olive oil.

GRILLING:

Place salmon flesh side down on the oiled grid. Grill for 3 minutes to sear. Coat another area of the grill grids away from the coals, turn the salmon skin side down and move it to the newly oiled area. Close the cover and roast covered for 5-10 minutes. The salmon is done when the temp. gets to 130 – 135 deg. or when the surface of filet is pink and not glassy.

Carefully remove salmon from grill to a platter; arrange the lemon slices around salmon on platter. Grind on pepper to taste, and garnish with a generous tablespoon of capers. Serve immediately.

Salmon Au Beurre Noir

This is an old recipe from the 1880’s often served in the old west towns and has been brought up to today’s standards

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Salmon (Columbia River) fillet*
1 Tbs. capers
1 onion, sliced
4 Tbs. white wine vinegar (Divided)
2 oz unsalted butter
few sprigs fresh parsley

For garnish:
Fresh chopped parsley

PREPARATION:

Rinse the Salmon fillet and pat dry. Peel and slice the onion, rinse and chop the parsley.

COOKING:

Put the Salmon into a large frying pan and cover with pure cold water. Add the onion, half the vinegar and the parsley. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

While the salmon is simmering, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter turns rich golden brown and gives off a nutty aroma (This is called beurre noir in French, and translates as “black butter.”) Add the remaining vinegar and capers and boil for 1 minute.

Take the salmon out of the pan when it’s time, removing any bones and cut into 2 pieces. Place in a warmed serving dish. Pour the beurre noir over the fish and sprinkle with parsley.


* note the Columbia River king salmon is best, is more delicate, with subtle and delicious texture and flavor.