Salmon Two Ways (Honey Garlic Glazed & Shioyaki)

It's wild salmon season again, or so I assumed from the abundant supply and cheap cheap pricing from Whole Foods and Costco. They are cheaper than their farmed cousins right now and way healthier! I literally can't help myself from picking up those bright red wild sockeye salmon fillets for two weeks straight. Now I just need to improvise on the cooking so that I don't end up eating the same dish over an over. Luckily, salmon is one of those proteins that are so versatile that it's the hero in all sorts of cuisines from the east to the west.

The first dish that came to mind when I think of salmon is Salmon Shioyaki. It translate to salt broiled salmon. It's one of my favorite Japanese dishes. It needs very few ingredients and dead simple to make. In my opinion, it's the best cooking method to capture and elevate the intense flavor and the wonderful texture of the fish itself. And exactly because of the simplicity, the quality of the fish really plays a critical role. I love making it with high quality skin-on wild salmon fillets because the meat is much firmer and leaner. The salt draws out moisture from the meat and enhances the texture by making it very flaky when cooked. It also enhances the already bright red color, making it even more visually appealing. The only drawback of Salmon Shioyaki is that you need to prep it at least the day before because it needs time for the salt to cure the meat. On the flip side, you can freeze the cured fillet and enjoy it weeks, even months to come.

Because Salmon Shioyaki needs a day ahead to prep and I can't wait to dig in to the fresh meat. I decided to make something fresh for the day and prep the next batch for dinner the next day. I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. The first post I saw was this beautifully glazed row of salmon fillet. I knew I had to make that. I love having salmon with white rice and the honey garlic glaze would taste amazing when mixed with white rice. It turned out great!

I'll tryout some new dishes next week with my newly procured fillet from Costco earlier today. Hopefully I discovered something else post worthy.

Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon (Serves 2)

• 2 6-ounce salmon fillet
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
• 1 small bunch of parsley

1. Cut the fillet width wise to 2 inch pieces. Mine come out to 4 piece total. Pat dry and salt and pepper each side.
2. Heat the oil in non-stick skillet with medium heat until shimmers.
3. Lay in the fillets skin side down for 5 minutes or until skin is crispy.
4. While the salmon cooks, mix the honey and lemon juice.
5. Flipped the salmon and cook for about 2 minute or until cooked through.
6. Transfer the salmon out of the pan.
7. Add garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
8. Pour in the lemon honey mixture and mix until thick and bubbly. About 30 seconds.
9. Transfer the fish back in, skin side up.
10. Cook for another minute to heat through  and use a spoon to bask the skin with the glaze.
11. Serve however you like. I like to serve it on top of rice with a light sprinkle of scallions.

Salmon Shioyaki (Serves 2)

• 2 6-ouce salmon fillet
• Sake
• Sea salt
• Cooking spray

1. Cut the fillet width wise on an angle. Mine came out to be 6 pieces total. Pat dry.
2. Dab the fillets with sake on both side. Leave for 10 minutes.
3. Pat dry the sake and sprinkle both sides of the salmon liberally with salt. Try to put more on the skin than the flesh.
4. Line a storage container with paper towel and lay the fillets in a single layer and top with paper towels. Put more fillets on top then top with paper towels. Close the lid and leave the container in the fridge for at least overnight. 
5. The next day, Preheat the oven for 400F. Put the rack in the middle.
6. Take out the fillet, pat dry and put on a foil lined baking tray.
7. Bake the salmon for about 10 minutes.
8. Turn the oven to low broil and broil for about 5 minutes or until the skin is lightly charred and appears to be crispy.
9. Serve on top of rice.