Salmon Recipe

Prepare salmon

Pat the Skuna Bay salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Check for any pin bones and remove with fish tweezers if present. Place fillets skin-side down on a tray or plate large enough to hold them.

Season

Sprinkle kosher salt evenly over the flesh side (about 1/2 tsp per fillet if 4 fillets). Add freshly ground black pepper, and gently rub the lemon zest over the flesh. Place two lemon slices on top of each fillet or reserve for grilling/roasting.

Make the marinade

In a small bowl whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, low-sodium soy sauce, honey, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, minced ginger, and rice vinegar until smooth and slightly emulsified. Taste and adjust: add a touch more honey if you prefer sweeter glaze or a pinch more soy for saltiness.

Marinate briefly

Brush or spoon about half of the marinade over the flesh of each fillet. Let the salmon sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes). Reserve the remaining marinade for glazing during cooking.

Preheat

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) if roasting. Alternatively, preheat a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron or stainless steel) over medium-high heat if pan-searing. If grilling, preheat grill to medium-high and oil grates.

Sear (if pan or grill)

For pan-sear: add 1 tbsp olive oil to the hot skillet. Place salmon skin-side down and press gently for 10 seconds so skin makes full contact. Cook skin-side down for 3–4 minutes without moving until skin is crisp and golden. Flip and cook flesh-side for 1–2 minutes. For grill: place skin-side down, grill 3–5 minutes, then flip and grill 1–3 minutes until just done.

Roast (if oven)

If using the oven, place fillets skin-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan. Roast at 425°F (220°C) for 8–12 minutes depending on thickness (about 10 minutes for 1-inch thick fillets) until salmon reaches an internal temperature of 125–130°F (52–54°C) for medium-rare to medium. In the final 2 minutes brush reserved marinade over the tops and return to oven so it caramelizes lightly.

Glaze and finish

Whether seared, grilled, or roasted, in the last 1–2 minutes of cooking brush the reserved marinade over the fillets to glaze. Remove from heat when salmon flakes easily with a fork and the interior is uniformly opaque with a hint of translucence in the center. Immediately add the 1 tbsp unsalted butter on top of each hot fillet to melt and spoon the butter over the fish.

Rest and garnish

Transfer salmon to a serving platter and let rest 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh dill or parsley and chopped chives. Serve with lemon wedges and extra lemon slices on the side for squeezing over the fish.