Simple Salmon

The salmon is a very forgiving fish.

Because it is a good source of omega fatty acids, salmon is easy to cook and not at all fussy if you overcook it – simply because it is a fatty fish (and good for you). It does not go dry and will retain a good texture and moisture even if you over cook by 5 minutes! I know this because I once left my salmon cooking overtime while I was busy chopping up something. It did not taste its optimum but surprisingly, it was not dry despite my tardiness. Technically, it takes less than 8mins to cook a piece of fish. Depending on the thickness of your fish, it should not take more than 4 minutes on each side. If your piece of fish is not particularly the fatty kind, say a tilapia or mullet, I would not cook it more than 7 minutes.

I like to cook my salmon skin side first because I like to eat crispy its skin. The skin of any fish is very underrated because many people fillet their fish and discard the skin. In my opinion, the skin is where most of the flavors are concentrated – and no it is not fishy if your fish is fresh! Of course, if you boiled/steam your fish, the sticky gooey skin may not look appetizing or tasty at all but if the skin is prepared correctly, it is an absolute treat.

This is a very simple plate of lunch I had. There are no greens, just a simple saute of mushrooms on the side and a drizzle of fine balsamic vinegar on the fish to finish it off. The star of the show is the salmon fillet, which I have season lightly with salt and cracked pepper seared in a pan with some olive oil.

P.S. I know some people are going to cringe at the word “fatty fish” but omega fatty acids in fishes like salmon, cold, tuna, and the likes are very good for you. It helps men prevent prostate cancer and reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases among other things. What more could you want in plate of food?

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