Taste Buds

Made salmon three ways last night which is typically my favorite way to use up a whole side of salmon from Costco

I start my removing the belly from the bottom of the salmon and trimming any more marbled bits off the top to leave me with a squared off block for filets

I take the belly and (after an optional quick salt and sugar cure) slice the fatter end into sashimi-style slices (or nuggets depending on the shape) and then dice up the rest for poke or ceviche

For the slices / nuggets one of my favorite preparations is to lay them out flat on a plate, sprinkle with salt, and sear them with a blowtorch (can also use the broiler for a couple mins). Finish by garnishing with olive oil, lemon zest, scallions, a little bit of soy sauce, sesame seeds, etc. — get creative!

Doing this with the fattier belly section renders some of the fat leading to the most juicy and unctuous bite. One of my favorites to make at home and rarely lasts long between Abby and me. Perfect as an appetizer, especially with guests.

The diced up belly bits I’ll usually just eat raw as poke mixed with maybe a bit of soy or mayo and sriracha. This time I decided to marinate it two ways: one with soy, honey, and garlic and the other as more of a ceviche-style experiment with leftover homemade mignonette that I had in the fridge. Gonna try both of those today.

Finally I split up the main loin block into equal size rectangular pieces (can usually get 3-4 out of it) for roasting in the oven. I mix up the seasonings on these. This time I went with:

1. Salt, pepper, garlic, paprika
2. Trader Joe’s citrusy garlic
3. Soy and honey glazed

Roast in the oven at 375° until it hits an internal temp of 120° (most people tend to severely overcook their salmon imo). With a few degrees of carryover it leaves you with some beautifully cooked and juicy salmon that’ll have you craving it again soon. See the third pic if you don’t believe me — look at that flakey goodness!

This is great in a salad or one of my favorite ways to eat it is little seaweed tacos, optionally with some avocado (none of mine were ripe) and hot sauce (sriracha is nice here but I was out of it). Emily Mariko was really onto something with these. I topped mine simply with a bit of yuzu kosho which is one of my absolute favorite accompaniments for salmon and an ingredient that you should definitely have in your pantry (go to an Asian grocery store, get the green one).

Overall yummy dinner last night and I’m excited to have the rest today and tomorrow. It’s fun to break it down into different preparations to mix things up and allow you to get creative. Let me know if you try any!

Update on the cubed salmon:

The soy-honey-garlic one was delicious! Mincing the garlic with a garlic press allowed the flavor to penetrate nicely alongside the soy and honey. Would consider adding some sesame oil and seeds next time (think I ran out, need to get more). Also would've been nice with a little bit of spice to round out the sweetness from the honey.

The ceviche-style experiment with the mignonette wasn't a total bust but it was just okay. Flavor was pretty nice but the texture was a bit off. I think because it sat in the vinegar too long (overnight) which semi-cooked it. Would try it again if eating it right away (I think 15 mins is supposed to be the optimal time for ceviche to sit in acid before consuming).

/new-york 🗽 • /untzuntz 😈 • /tastebuds 🍕 Fan of eating tacos and bringing people together, often at the same time 🌮

Beautiful color and doneness on the salmon! 

I *love* how there's no white (albumin) leeching out. Telltale sign of overcooking. Soooo many salmon photos on Food channel have that rookie mistake. No chance with you...

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