The Perfectly Cooked Salmon Fillet

The Husband usually cooks our high quality proteins. Part of this is because I don't cook meat very often and another reason is that I fear the tough, stringy texture of overcooked meat. Unfortunately, I was on my own for dinner one night this week and decided I needed to (wo)man up and just cook it myself. So I literally googled "how to cook perfect salmon fillet" in hopes that I didn't ruin the Wild-Caught Salmon I had just purchased from Whole Foods.

Well my google search led me here. I know. It's a very unassuming website and looks almost too simple to be good. However, I decided to commit to the instructions to a T. Even chilling the oiled fish, which I normally wouldn't take the time to do.

The result? A perfect sear. Moist, juicy, and tender salmon. This was my most successful salmon attempt. I don't know if it was the cooking method, the high quality fish or both, but this would rival restaurant salmon in texture and tenderness any day.

Perfectly Cooked Salmon Filets
From Inland Eats

1. Start with very fresh salmon. Fish smell = not fresh. Make sure it is deboned and you can leave the skin on.

2. Drizzle both sides of the salmon fillets with extra virgin olive oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil over the entire surface.

3. Place the oiled fish in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. (Don't skip this. I warned you.)

4. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Pour a small amount of olive oil into a non-stick, oven-safe skillet, and preheat over high heat.

5. Place salmon fillets in hot skillet. Cook for two minutes, turn and cook for an additional two minutes. Absolutely resist the urge to move the fillet or flip before the 2 minutes are up. (Again, you have been warned.)

6. Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. My fillet was approximately 1/2 lb and cooked PERFECTLY in 6 minutes. I let the fish rest a few minutes before digging in. The salmon should be moist and flake easily with a fork.

If you are fearful of messing up your salmon, TRY THIS RECIPE. Enough said.

Bon appetit and have a wonderful weekend!