Alright, so I was itching to make some shioyaki salmon the other day. It’s one of those back-to-basics things, you know? Dead simple but always hits the spot for me.
First thing’s first, gotta get the salmon. I just grab a couple of decent fillets. With the skin on, always with the skin on for me. That crispy skin is the whole point, far as I’m concerned.
Then comes the salt. ‘Shio’ means salt, right? So yeah, it’s important. I don’t get fussy with measuring. Just a good sprinkle of coarse sea salt all over. Maybe a tad more on the skin side. You’re trying to pull out some of that extra water and get the flavor in deep.
I lay them on a plate, sometimes on a little rack if I’m feeling fancy, and let them hang out for about 20 minutes, maybe 30. You’ll see the moisture pop up. That’s the salt doing its job.
Next up, and don’t you dare skip this part: pat those fillets super dry with paper towels. Bone dry. I’m serious. If you want crispy skin, this is non-negotiable. Used to be lazy about this and wondered why my skin was never quite right. Well, that was why.
Time to cook. I just use my old cast iron skillet. Love that thing. A tiny bit of oil – you don’t need much – and get it to a solid medium-high heat. Not smoking like a chimney, but hot enough so the fish sizzles when it hits the pan.
Skin-side down first. That’s my golden rule. I press it down gently with a spatula for maybe half a minute, just to make sure all the skin is touching the pan. Let it go for a good 4, maybe 5 minutes. You want that skin golden and crispy, and it should release from the pan easy when it’s ready. You’ll see the sides of the salmon cooking upwards.
Then, a careful flip. Cook the other side for another 3 or 4 minutes. It really depends on how thick your salmon is. I poke it a bit. You don’t want to blast it till it’s dry like cardboard. Just cooked through is perfect.
And that’s basically the whole shebang. Pull it off the heat. Sometimes I’ll hit it with a squeeze of lemon. Serve it up with some plain rice, maybe a bowl of miso. Dinner done. Easy peasy.
It’s funny, isn’t it? Just salmon and salt, really. But cooked right, it’s fantastic. Guess simple is often best.
