Fish for Monday, are you for real?!
Well, yes I am. I want to tell you about this wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon. The quality of this fish is worth shouting out. If you live in the UK, I recommend two brands, Leap and Waitrose No.1, otherwise ask your local fishmonger. I discovered this salmon a few weeks ago and since then have bought it regularly, alongside the farmed variety.
Wild caught salmon has a different appearance to the farmed kind; the colour is a natural vibrant orange pink and they have a firmer almost meaty texture. It is much leaner than the fattier farmed version. It is more expensive than the farmed version, so from a cost and health benefit perspective, a mix of the two is a good balance for the family budget.
For me, I normally pick off the brown meat off the fillets if they are on my plate, because I find it “fishy”, even though the fish is very fresh, bought from my local fishmonger. However with wild caught salmon, there is no fishiness at all, even when eaten cold and without any added lemon. Strange, isn’t it??
I’m putting a Japanese flavour in this dish, baked fillets with white miso and ginger and on the side, some crispy crackers for crunch (a cheffy touch, completely optional!). There is no waste in this recipe. I used a 450g side of salmon which makes 4 portions.
How to descale the salmon fillet
Before you proceed with the recipe, the first thing to do is to prepare the salmon fillet by removing the thin but tightly packed scales off the skin. Lay the fillet on the chopping board, skin side up, take a cook’s knife, apply gentle pressure on top of the fillet and scrape off the scales in the opposite direction of which they lay without puncturing the skin. The scales should come off easily. Once you have done so, wipe the fillet with a piece of kitchen paper to remove any moisture and debris. I would suggest you don’t rinse the fish unless it is very messy because the fillet could be water logged which means the marinade won’t stick on it as well. Cut into 4 portions.
Obviously this step can be done by your fishmonger, but if you bought a prepacked fillet, very often the scales are still intact.
How to remove the skin off the fillet
Flip the fillet over so the flesh side is facing you, take the same knife, and nudge it between the skin and the flesh. You might need to make a small incision but don’t cut the skin off. With one hand holding the skin taut, and the other holding the knife (by now the fish flesh should be on top of the blade), use a zigzag motion to remove the flesh off the skin. The action that you are looking for is a pull (the hand holding the skin) and push (the knife holding hand), all performed simultaneously.
Again your fishmonger would be well placed to help you.
The marinade
Two tablespoons organic white miso*
One tablespoon rapeseed oil (any neutral flavour cooking oil would do)
One tablespoon mirin
Two teaspoons cooking sake or Chinese Shaoxing wine (omit if you don’t have any)
One level teaspoon of white sugar or honey or maple syrup
One tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1) Mix the marinade well, taste and adjust the saltiness to your palate. White miso has a more mellow flavour and is not as salty as the regular brown or red version. Spread the mixture evenly on both sides of the skinless salmon and leave to marinate out of the fridge for 15 minutes.
2) Preheat your oven to 200c, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, on one side lay the prepared fish skin on it, season it with salt and pepper. On the other side, lay the fillets. Cook in the preheated oven for 4-5 minutes*. During this time the skin will crackle and puff up and the fillets will cook and still retains its juiciness. Check the crackers if they need another minute of so of cooking. Otherwise, dish up and serve with steamed rice and side dishes of your choice.
* Check the fillets at 4.30 minutes, they should be set and perfectly cooked. Remove the fillets from the oven and the tray they were cooked in. Overcooked fish will leak out the moisture and become dry and “woolly”, they will have set opaque white beads around the fillets, like cooked egg white. Please note wild salmon cook MUCH FASTER than the farmed version, if you wish to use farmed salmon, add a few more minutes to the cooking time before checking.
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