Crispy Skin Ora King Salmon with Snap Pea Pesto and Roasted Broccoli

Ora King is the fattiest salmon there is. That fat renders out from under the skin and crisps it from below, and what stays in the flesh is what keeps it moist and flaky all the way through.

Salt the fish at least an hour ahead, two or three is the sweet spot, uncovered on a rack in the fridge. If you are cooking right now, salt the fillets as they go into the pan instead. Partway through the sear the fillets come out, skin up on a rack for four minutes, pan off the burner, so the skin is not overcooking while the middle catches up.

The recipe has you press the fillets flat at the start of the sear. I highly recommend a kitchen weight instead, and the one I use is the Chef's Press. It has slots cut into it so steam escapes while the weight holds the skin down. A flat weight, one solid piece of metal with no openings, traps that steam under itself instead of letting it out, and that is what costs you the sear.

The White Ora King Salmon w/ Green Goddess uses the same rest.

Crispy Skin Ora King Salmon with Snap Pea Pesto and Roasted Broccoli

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Ora King salmon seared skin down, rested off the heat partway through, then finished in the pan. Snap pea pesto underneath, roasted broccoli alongside.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 2 Ora King salmon portions about 6 oz each, skin on
• 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt for the fish, about half a teaspoon per 6 oz fillet
• 1 head broccoli about 1 lb, cut so every piece has one flat face
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil for the broccoli
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt for the broccoli, to taste
• 2 tbsp snap pea pesto
• 1 lemon

Method

 

1. Salt the salmon at least an hour ahead, two to three hours is the sweet spot, and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge. About half a teaspoon of Diamond Crystal for a 6 oz fillet, skin and all, and that is the whole of the salt for the fish. If you are cooking right now, salt the fillets as they go into the pan instead.
2. Heat the oven to 450°F with a sheet pan inside it.
3. Cut the broccoli through the stem so every piece has one flat face. Toss it in a bowl with the olive oil and salt until every face is glossy. Tip it onto the hot pan and turn every piece cut face down, in a single layer with space around each one. Roast 15 to 18 minutes without moving it.
4. When the broccoli has about twelve minutes left, set a skillet over medium-high. Little to no oil: this fish is fatty enough to grease its own pan inside the first minute.
5. Pat the salmon skin completely dry.
6. Lay the fillets in skin down, away from you, and press them flat for 30 to 60 seconds. They should sizzle the moment they land. No sound at all in the first ten seconds means the pan was not hot enough, so lift the fillets out, let it come up, and lay them back in. Then drop the heat to medium.
7. Cook 3 to 4 minutes skin down. You want a steady fine crackle. A loud, hard sizzle means the heat is too high, so lower it a little.
8. Take the pan off the burner. Lift the fillets onto a rack, skin side up, and leave them 4 minutes.
9. Pan back on medium. Return the fillets skin down for 3 more minutes, then flip for 1. Pull at 130°F.
10. Spoon 1 tablespoon of snap pea pesto into the center of each plate. Set the fish on it, skin up. Broccoli alongside.
11. Serve with lemon at the table.

Notes

• For seasoning, I always use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you use Morton, use half.
• Fish is more delicate than steak, so salt works through it faster. Past overnight the texture goes firm.
• Lift a corner and look at the skin, then look at the side of the fillet. The flesh turns opaque from the bottom up, and that line tells you how far along it is.
• The rest keeps the skin from overcooking while the middle catches up. Take the pan off the burner for that rest. An empty skillet left on the heat comes back hot enough to burn the skin you just built.
• The 130°F pull is the one at the end, not the rest partway through. It finishes around 135 on the plate. Wait for 135 in the pan and the temperature keeps climbing past where you want it, which is the difference between silky and chalky.
• Every piece of broccoli gets one flat face. A floret sitting on its round side touches the pan in one spot and steams. The cut side is the only part that browns.
• The pesto makes far more than this plate needs, and it keeps. Full recipe: Snap Pea Pesto.

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