sherry seared salmon



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dry sherry is the secret to this delicious salmon.  i don't know what it is with me, but i feel as though salmon needs to take on asian flavors for me to like it.  i have several different marinades i use for salmon, but my favorite is this one.  i hand pour, but it goes something like this:  3 tablespoons of light soy sauce, i actually like reduced sodium tamari that i find at whole foods.  1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of mirin or rice wine vinegar, the juice of a half of an orange, 2 tablespoons of dry sherry, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  i like to marinate the salmon the morning that i am making this.  i find that marinating salmon overnight is just too much.  the texture of the fish changes.  even without the citrus, the fish tends to "harden".  so, about 6 hours of marinating works best in my opinion.  when ready to cook, i pull out a cast iron skillet, add a bit of olive oil, and let the pan get super hot.  once it starts to smoke, add the salmon, cook 3 minutes, flip, and cook another 3 minutes.  i will sometimes have to adjust the heat if i think the flesh is turning too dark.  but truth is, i really like a seared outside and a moist, pink, medium'ish  inside.  sometimes burnt tastes good.