Salmon is an unusually tender, tasty and healthy fish. Cooking salmon is very easy and almost impossible to spoil. Salmon steaks are usually pan-fried or grilled, although there are other ways to cook them, including in an oven or double boiler.
It is necessary
- For 4 salmon steaks:
- - lemon,
- - salt, black or white pepper to taste,
- - a pinch of paprika and saffron,
- - 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Additional ingredients
- For salmon on a vegetable cushion:
- - 4-5 medium sized potatoes,
- - medium-sized carrots,
- - onion,
- - 3 medium tomatoes,
- - 100 grams of butter,
- - 25 grams of dill (medium bunch).
- For salmon in foil:
- - 2 small tomatoes,
- - baking foil.
Instructions
Step 1
Salmon steaks are distinguished by a very delicate and at the same time rich taste, however, in order for the dish to succeed, it is important to choose the right fish. The fillet should be light orange, too bright or too much red indicates that the fish is most likely treated with dyes. The surface should look damp, but not shiny - gloss indicates processing with preservatives. If you touch the cut with your finger, it should be elastic and dense, and after pressing, depressions should remain on the surface. Pay attention to the scales - there should not be any yellowish-orange spots on it (they indicate that there is a spoiled fish in front of you). For cooking, you can purchase whole salmon and cut it into slices about four to five centimeters thick, or purchase ready-made portions.
Step 2
Salmon steak fried in a pan
Pan-fried steaks are the most popular variety in this dish. They are prepared very quickly and easily, the whole process, including marinating, will take no more than half an hour. Rinse the fish under running water, pat dry and cut into steaks. Place them in a deep plate or bowl. Squeeze one lemon and pour over the fish. Season with salt, add a pinch of saffron and paprika. Do not overdo it with spices - the delicate smell of salmon should not be "interrupted", but only slightly shaded, so you should take quite a bit of spices. Coat the steaks with olive oil and marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Step 3
Pour oil into the pan, heat well. Gently dip the steaks into the skillet and “seal” them over high heat for two minutes on each side. Use tongs or a spatula to flip the fish pieces over very carefully to prevent the steaks from falling apart.
Step 4
Reduce heat, cover skillet with an airtight lid and cook steaks for another 5-7 minutes. It is not worth increasing the cooking time - salmon cooks very quickly, and if you overexpose the steaks on the fire, they will become tough. Fast frying on both sides and "finishing" under the lid allows you to get the perfect fish - with an appetizing crispy crust on the outside and tender flesh on the inside.
Step 5
Salmon steak is a portioned dish. Usually it is prepared strictly according to the number of eaters and is served "hot, hot" - cooled or reheated salmon greatly loses its taste. You can garnish it with fresh vegetables, herbs, boiled or baked potatoes. When serving, pour over the red fish steaks with lemon juice, a classic creamy sauce, goes well with salmon and tartar sauce.
Step 6
Salmon steak on a vegetable pillow in the oven
Pour the salmon steaks with lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper and leave for 15-20 minutes. Wash and peel potatoes, carrots, onions and tomatoes. Cut the root vegetables into medium-sized pieces, the onions into large rings, the tomatoes into slices. Chop the dill finely.
Step 7
Grease a baking sheet or baking dish with butter, put the prepared vegetables on it. Place the prepared salmon on top. Place small pieces of butter on top of the steaks and sprinkle with dill. Send to the oven, preheated to a temperature of 180 degrees. Roast the salmon steaks on a vegetable cushion for about 35 minutes.
Step 8
Salmon steak baked in foil
You can cook portioned salmon in the oven and in foil - juicy baked fish will retain maximum useful properties. Fish steaks, as in the previous recipe, are kept for 10-15 minutes with salt, black or white pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Tomatoes are cut into plastics.
Step 9
The foil is folded three or four times, after which a kind of deep "boat" is formed from it. A little olive oil is poured into the bottom of the boat, a prepared steak is placed on top, and several slices of tomato are placed on it. You can add a sprig of spicy herbs. The "boats" are wrapped as tightly as possible on top: the juice that comes out of the salmon should not flow out and evaporate, so the foil should be sealed as tightly as possible.
Step 10
Foil steaks are laid out on a wire rack or on a baking sheet and sent to the oven, preheated to 200 degrees for 30 minutes. They can be served directly in foil, by carefully unrolling the "boats" from above and bending the edges, or you can put the fish on plates, watering it with the juice formed during baking. As a side dish for salmon cooked in this way, young boiled potatoes or rice are ideal.
Step 11
If desired, the foil-wrapped steaks can be baked with potatoes or other vegetables. In this case, they are finely cut and laid out in the "boats" with the bottom layer. In this case, the residence time in the oven should be increased by 10-15 minutes.
Step 12
Steamed salmon steaks
Salmon belongs to fatty fish, so it is often cooked in a “light” dietary version - steamed. Cooking steaks in a double boiler allows you to get tender, tasty fish that melts in your mouth without the use of additional fats. Steaks are prepared for steam in an elementary way: steaks grated with salt and seasonings and poured with lemon juice are kept for 5-10 minutes, after which they are laid out on a greased steamer grate. Lemon wedges are laid out on top of the steaks, you can supplement them with sprigs of spicy herbs. If the goal is not to get the most dietary dish with a minimum of calories, you can also grease the salmon with low-fat sour cream.
Step 13
For a couple of salmon steaks, they reach readiness in 15 minutes (the countdown is from the moment the liquid boils). It is necessary to put the finished dish on the plates very carefully - the fish prepared in this way is very tender and easily falls apart. Steamed salmon is usually served with boiled rice, couscous or potatoes, you can also garnish the fish with green salad leaves and fresh vegetables.
