Having tried salmon during an in-flight journey couple of years ago, I decided that I hated salmon! It was so fishy and tasteless. Fast forward to today, I’ve learnt to really like salmon – a lot!

The credit must go to my better half who kept insisting it’s delicious and healthy (Proteins, Amino acids, Omega 3 fatty acids – all the good stuff – so I’m told!). I disagreed with its deliciousness, but decided to watch him make it anyway. During my ‘outta school – no job yet’ period I decided to cook it for him a couple of times. The next time I cooked it, I decided to give it a try and realized it wasn’t that bad after all. Somewhere around this time last year, I surprised him by making two fillets for dinner and he wailed ‘uhoh, this means I have to share salmon with you from now on’. And yes he has to! But on a positive note, this also means I buy more salmon and it makes a more regular appearance on his plate. (Cos you know, I AM the chef and I decide the grocery list. Heh!)

And till I find another recipe that I’ll love, this will continue to be our favourite.

Cast of Characters:

• Two salmon fillets
• Garlic, Ginger, Red chilli (chilli padi)
• Coriander and lemon
• Salt, Cajun spices (Optional)
• Oil/ butter or both 😉

How to:

Being an Asian, I love my food spicy and tangy and I think lemon / lime goes extremely well with fresh seafood. My marinate for the salmon goes along the same flavours and I think there’s no better way for a marinate than grinding fresh ingredients. In this case ginger, garlic, coriander, chilli padi along with salt, lemon juice and olive oil. This builds up a marinade similar to a chimichurri but with some added flavours.

Since I am currently obsessed with this amazing Spicy Cajun spice mix I picked up at the local grocery store, I added a good tablespoon of it into the sauce.n This however is totally optional.

I then let my salmon sit in this mixture for 10-15 mins while I prep my sides. In this case asparagus and a quick mash.

Next heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet and place the salmon, skin side down and let it sizzle for a minute.

After which, I cover the pan and let it cook. This results in a salmon which has a crispy skin and a moist (almost steamed) interior. Lastly, if you want to be a tad bit rebellious, add in a dab of butter to the pan and swirl.

I love pairing salmon with a creamy mash as I can never say no to potato! All I did was boil and mash one large potato with a bit of butter, fresh milk and grated cheese (totally optional) and season with  cracked black pepper. Quantities are entirely up to your own taste (in my case there’s less butter and cheese if better half is around!). My second side this evening was a bunch of lightly grilled asparagus, which again was a veg I hated but learnt to love over last year. Lastly, I garnished it with a beautiful vine of cherry tomatoes cos I am a sucker for all things pretty on my plate.

I hope I’ll be able to inspire one or two salmon haters out there to give it a go. Do let me know if you do try 🙂