Bland Seasoning Doesn't Always Make for a Boring Salmon

I did something very unexpected for me: I laid off the seasonings for my salmon I had to prepare today at lunch. This wound up immensely popular with all of the family members who tried it. I heard excellent things about it being a better salmon than the seafood restaurants they had just tried! And do you know how it happened? By laying off my usual dramatic touches for something so simple, the recipe will shock you.

I used fresh garlic, sea salt, ground pepper and olive oil. That's it. Coming from someone who loves a little flair in my work, holding back is saying a lot. My lesson to all of you here is that with fish, more often than not, it is about baking time, turning on schedule, fresh ingredients and moisturizing. I know all of that truly is common sense, but think about it. Whoever taught you cooking, be it a teacher or your parents, usually overlooks the importance of small details. You think, "Oh, I can wander in my kitchen with non-fresh herbs and spices and make a rabbit turn into a Justin Timberlake hat." No, you can't. Invest in purchasing the seasonings, because you will never regret them when you entertain your boss who just so happens to give you a raise the day after he eats your salmon.

One warning note: never leave the salmon practically raw unless you are doing some sort of Japanese tuna tataki or other dish requiring undercooked/uncooked salmon. I saw Michael Symon from ABC's The Chew recommended doing this as he does at his restaurant. I don't care that he often cooks excellent food on his program. Chances are you are not experienced enough to pull it off, you may catch food poisoning, many Americans will dislike the flavor, many Americans and Europeans will think you don't know how to cook and you probably will feel like you have a dead, stinky fish on your plate, not a delicious dinner. Save the raw for specialty dishes, please!

xoxo,
Richárde
@justricharde on Twitter