This post was created in partnership with Copper River Salmon. Opinions are my own, including that Copper River Salmon is the best wild salmon I’ve ever tasted.
This recipe is the culmination of my adventure in Cordova, Alaska with the extraordinary fishermen and community of humans that comprise Copper River Salmon. Hop on over to that post to read all about the story behind this astoundingly fresh wild superfood, and then come back for the goods.
While I have long loved eating salmon, I hadn’t cooked much of it before my journey with Copper River began this year. As many of you know, I grew up vegetarian and our family didn’t start eating fish until I was a teenager—at which point I would pretend it was tofu in order to get it down. After a reversion to vegetarianism and subsequent veganism in my early and mid-twenties, I returned to fish with a passion.
And yet, I still didn’t really know how to cook it—much less fillet it myself. And before this trip to Alaska, I was vastly intimidated by the thought of filleting my own salmon. I thought I would irrevocably mess it all up, and wind up with an inedible mound of mangled flesh. I know many of you can relate. But one of the great joys of the trip was learning how easy it is to handle fish at home.
Here’s what I discovered:
Filleting is way simpler than you think.
There’s no one right or wrong way to do it.
You can ask for as much or as little help as you want from your fishmonger.
You can ask for the pin bones to be removed (or use a simple pair of needle-nose pliers to remove them yourself).
So long as you have a long, sharp knife, you’re set.
This recipe was inspired by many a roasted citrus and salmon dish I’ve seen on the interwebs—except for one key distinction: the crispy salmon skin. When I first began to explore the realm of cooking salmon, I realized I didn’t want to give up the deliciousness (or the healthy fats) in the skin just because of how I chose to cook it. One conversation with my friend Sarah Menanix from Snixy Kitchen later, and I had my technique: a quick skin-side down sear to start, and a roast with the skin-side up. That way the skin never gets soggy after it crisps up.
This recipe is super simple: We sear the salmon skin. We sauté some leeks. We caramelize some lemons. We roast the salmon. All in the same skillet. Then we top the whole spread with a hyper herbaceous Italian-style salsa verde made of mint, parsley, dill, green onion, garlic, vinegar, and more. Some radishes to finish. Easy. Epically satisfying.
Enjoy it! And don’t miss the whole of my adventure with Copper River Salmon’s wild salmon fisheries.
ROASTED LEMON CRISPY-SKINNED SALMON WITH SALSA VERDE.
Ingredients
Salsa Verde
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup minced green onion, green parts only, from about 3 green onions
- 1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 cup fresh dill
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 cup olive oil
Roasted Lemon Crispy-Skinned Salmon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup sliced leeks
- few pinches sea salt
- 1 lemon, very thinly sliced, skin on
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds salmon, skin on, cut into even 4-5 fillets of even thickness
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks, white parts only
- thinly sliced radishes, to garnish
- lemon slices, to garnish
Instructions
Salsa Verde
- In a jar or bowl, combine the minced garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, and minced green onions. Let the flavors marry while you finely chop the rest of the herbs.
- Add the finely chopped mint, parsley, and dill to the vinegar mixture. Add the lemon zest and olive oil. Stir to combine, creating a thick green sauce. Set aside while you make the salmon.
Roasted Lemon Crispy-Skinned Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 375º.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. When the oil is screaming hot, sear the skin-side of each fillet for 45-60 seconds, or just until the skin is crisp and starting to brown. Remove the fillets and place skin-side up on a plate.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and then the leeks. Season with a few pinches of sea salt. Sauté the leeks until golden brown, stirring frequently, about five to eight minutes. Remove from the skillet and place into a small bowl.
- Cover the bottom of the skillet in an even layer of lemon rounds. It's fine if they overlap slightly. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Let them cook until they begin to turn golden brown, then sprinkle them with the leeks and add the salmon in, crispy skin-side up (cut-side of the salmon down, touching the leeks and lemon). Turn off the stovetop and move the skillet to the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through.
- Remove from heat, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and pepper, and top with salsa verde and sliced radishes. Serve with extra lemon.
