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Crispy Salmon With Coconut Rice & Peanut-Ginger Crackle Sauce
The key to crispy-skinned salmon (or any piece of skin-on fish) is patting it dry and starting it skin-side down in a cold nonstick skillet. As the skillet heats up, the skin begins to expel some of its fat, and after 10-ish minutes, you're left with evenly golden brown, shattery skin that's been fried in its own fat. With regard to the garlic-peanut crackle sauce, bear in mind that it should be spicier and saltier than you're comfortable spooning straight to the face because it's ultimately going to be served with a fatty piece of fish and a pile of coconut rice. Don't hold back.
Crispy salmon with coconut rice & peanut sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
Produce
- 1 English (hothouse) cucumber
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 (½-inch) piece of fresh ginger
Protein
- 4 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
Pantry
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup roasted, salted peanuts
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon honey
Directions
Start the coconut rice:
- In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse 2 cups long-grain white rice until the water runs clear. Drain well and add to a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
- Crack open 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk. Set aside a few tablespoons of the coconut milk in a small bowl. Stir the remaining coconut milk into the saucepan with the rice, ¾ cup water, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. As soon as it simmers, reduce the heat to as low as possible, cover with the lid, and set a timer for 16 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the pan from the heat and keep covered until ready to serve.
- While the rice cooks, thinly slice 1 English cucumber crosswise (use a mandoline if you have one!). Toss the sliced cucumber with salt to taste in a medium bowl and keep chilled until ready to serve.
Make the crackle sauce:
- Chop or coarsely crush ½ cup roasted, salted peanuts. In a large nonstick skillet, combine the chopped peanuts, ¼ cup olive oil, and 3 tablespoons sesame seeds. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the peanuts are several shades darker and the sesame seeds are toasted, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer to a small bowl. While the mixture is still hot, immediately finely grate 2 garlic cloves and 1 (½-inch) piece of fresh ginger right into the oil. Stir in 1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon honey, and the reserved coconut milk, and season the sauce with salt. YOU'RE PROBS NOT USING ENOUGH ... SALT.
Cook the salmon:
- Wipe out the nonstick skillet with a paper towel. Season 4 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets all over with salt. Working in batches if needed, arrange the salmon fillets, skin-side down, in the skillet, and set over medium heat. Cook, pressing down on the top of the salmon occasionally to encourage it to make contact with the pan, until the skin is golden and very crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. If the skin's not looking crispy enough, keep cooking! Don't settle for anything less than crisp.
- Flip the fillets and cook until the salmon is mostly opaque on the sides, with a slight hint of translucence, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Serve:
- Fluff the coconut rice with a fork and divide it among shallow bowls. Top each bowl with a salmon fillet and a pile of salted cucumbers. Drizzle the crackle sauce over the top.
More Is More Copyright © 2023 by Molly Baz. Photographs copyright © 2023 by PEDEN + MUNK. Illustrations copyright © 2023 Claire McCracken. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.
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