Seared Maple Salmon

So simple and a tribute to my husband. He really loves this dish – it appeals to his Irish/Scottish & Canadian heritage.

We have the great fortune of having a Citterella http://www.citarella.com/

in our small town of East Hampton. Jason the fish monger always has THE best of the best in the way of fresh fish.  You can’t go wrong with their organic farm salmon.   So when the fish is fresh the cooks ONLY job is to cook it perfectly!  Always ask for the first half of the salmon (take photo)  so that you can cut it into portions and have the correct thickness.  Remove the skin & cut the gray out (photo) They say that is where higher concentrations of mercury reside.

Michael Romano http://www.ushgnyc.com/people/leadership/michael-romano/ years ago taught me how to remove the skin.  You place the fish skin side down on the cutting board start at a corner and wiggle the fish & the knife (photo).  It’s one of those things that is better if you close your eyes and just get the feel!  He suggested that I invest in an automatic knife sharpener because my knifes were so dull.  He of course, sharpens his knifes by hand and gets them RAZOR sharp.  He quickly recognized my inability to be able to do that!  I am ever grateful because having sharp knifes took me to another level in the kitchen.

Get your pan really hot, and add a tiny bit of oil (we like to use peanut oil for searing for it’s ability not to burn at high temperatures, and for its nutty flavor). Add salt and pepper to taste. (Here we added a bit of spice from Global Palette, a Moroccan Rose Harissa, which works quite nicely with the subtle, sweet maple flavor of the syrup.)

 Sear until you have a beautiful golden color and crispy texture on each side.

If your fillet is 2 inches thick it will be a perfect medium rare inside.  Pour maple syrup over the salmon. Serve immediately. Its quite nice paired with Herbed Dill Potatoes and Poached Asparagus. Enjoy!