salmon Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Crispy Honey Butter Salmon + How to Get Crispy Salmon Skin

February 13, 2017 By Becky 36 Comments

Crispy honey butter salmon is a snap to make in half an hour with just five ingredients, but its flavor and texture make it worthy of a special occasion.

For the first 25 years of my life, I avoided salmon. It seemed too fishy, and its pink color always made it look suspiciously raw.

Then I started writing Paleo Planet, and my editor gently informed me that I would need to have at least one, if not two or three, salmon recipes in the book. I got cooking, and before long I discovered that crispy salmon skin is the BEST THING EVER.

Since crispy-skinned salmon is so good all on its own, I’ve started letting it shine with this super simple crispy honey butter salmon recipe. Basically we’re searing the salmon to get the skin nice and crunchy, and then topping it with a little butter and honey. The honey and butter melt onto the fish and create a rich, slightly sweet sauce that tastes like so much more than just the sum of its parts.

Ben and I are moving this week and we’re exhausted (see our super cute new digs here!), so I’m going to keep this post short and sweet. Below you’ll find my five best tips for making sure your salmon skin is truly crispy. If you’re still looking for something special to cook for Valentine’s Day, why not give this crispy honey butter salmon a try? And by the way, it’s fabulous with Instant Pot mashed potatoes.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Delicata Squash

January 2, 2017 By Becky 4 Comments

Sheet Pan Salmon and Delicata Squash #30MinuteMondays #glutenfree #paleo #whole30

This easy sheet pan salmon and delicata squash takes just half an hour and one pan to make. It’s also paleo, dairy free, and Whole30 compliant!

Happy 2017! I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start. If you’re doing a January Whole30 or just trying to clean up your eating a bit this month, I have just the recipe for you. Sheet pan salmon and delicata squash is a super flavorful dinner that only requires four ingredients, half an hour, and one pan. I used homemade Creole seasoning on the squash and the fish, but store bought Creole seasoning or your favorite spice blend would also work.

This recipe is part of my 30 Minute Mondays series, which has been on hold for a while now. However, this month I’m back to sharing quick and easy recipes for you each Monday, and am going to keep them all Whole30-compliant for January.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Delicata Squash #30MinuteMondays #glutenfree #paleo #whole30

Since we’re roasting and then broiling for this recipe, I recommend using a high-heat cooking oil like duck fat, ghee, or avocado oil. I buy Epic duck fat and La Tourangelle avocado oil from Thrive Market and make my own ghee. Both duck fat and ghee impart extra rich flavor to the dish, while avocado oil is more neutral. The higher smoke points of all three of those fats make them ideal for roasting and searing, whereas other fats like olive oil are best used raw or in low-heat cooking.

Seared Salmon with Red Curry Vegetables

September 2, 2016 By Becky 6 Comments

Quickly seared salmon with irresistibly crispy skin is served on top of a creamy red curry with potatoes, sweet potatoes, summer squash, and bell peppers for a fast but super satisfying dinner. This post is sponsored by Fishpeople as part of their #FearNoFish campaign.

Are you a salmon fan? I never was until a couple of years ago, when I began testing salmon recipes for my cookbook. My editor insisted that the book needed at least two salmon recipes, so I gritted my teeth and got to work. To my surprise, I loved everything I made! When cooked just long enough, salmon is tender and delicious, especially when the skin is crisped over high heat at the start of cooking. And since salmon is quick to make, it’s perfect for busy weeknights when you need to get a healthy dinner on the table fast.

For this recipe, seared salmon is paired with red curry vegetables. I used in-season produce from my CSA box: potatoes, sweet potatoes, summer squash, and bell peppers. The veggies are cooked with Thai red curry paste, stock, and either cream or coconut milk. The resulting curry is a perfectly spicy foil for the rich, crispy-skinned salmon, especially with a squeeze of lime and a little fresh basil on top.

Fishpeople’s frozen salmon fillets are so easy to use. The fillets are individually wrapped, so you can defrost one at a time or both, and they’re already cut into a perfect portion (six ounces). I chose sockeye salmon fillets for this recipe–sockeye has a deep, gorgeous color and an almost buttery flavor. Fishpeople’s keta salmon will work for this recipe, too! To find a store near you that sells Fishpeople products, check out their store locator. Also, check out the giveaway widget below the next photo to enter to win a Fishpeople prize package.

Caramelized Salmon with Basil Chile Oil and Pickled Vegetables #30MinuteMondays

July 20, 2015 By Becky 38 Comments

Broiled salmon, basil chile oil, and quick-pickled summer vegetables

team up for a fast and fresh paleo dinner with tons of flavor.

As a recent salmon convert, I’m still a little bit surprised every time I bite into a piece of salmon and find that it’s totally delicious.

For so long the strange pink hue of salmon turned me off, but now I can’t get enough. My favorite way to prepare salmon is under the broiler, where it cooks in less than ten minutes flat. I love how the top of the fish gets nicely browned and even a little bit crispy (especially here, with the help of a sprinkling of maple sugar) while the inside remains perfectly tender. This caramelized salmon is inspired by a recipe from Lindsay of Pinch of Yum and it’s SO good.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Capers and Baby Artichokes

March 19, 2015 By Becky 6 Comments

Were you a picky eater as a kid? I was pretty much the worst. The only vegetable I would eat was broccoli, and it had to have cheese on top. Everything else I deigned to consume was white or golden brown in color: chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, french fries, and pizza without tomato sauce (read: dough with cheese). I wanted slices of American cheese melted on top of almost all my food. It was actually called “Becky cheese” over at my dad’s, where no one else ate it.

I remained picky through high school, when I invented a white pizza with broccoli and two kinds of cheese at my favorite local pizzeria. My friends and I called it “Becky pizza”, and it was fabulous (I still think something like it should be added to the menu).

I’m proud to say that things have really changed. Today I’ll try almost anything, and there are very few foods I don’t enjoy. However, until a couple of months ago, salmon was still on my “no” list. I found it too fishy, and something about its orange-pink hue didn’t sit well with me.

Recently I worked on a project where I had to make several salmon recipes. To my surprise, I ended up loving them! The key for me is to really crisp up the skin (and brown the other side as well) and serve the salmon with a flavorful sauce.