Roasted Salmon for a Crowd When it comes to serving a crowd, most cooks turn to a large roast or bird. But wouldn’t it be nice to serve ish? j BY ANDREW JANJIGIAN k
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Next, I salted the fish, which we’ve found helps it retain moisture and prevents the albumin from seeping out during cooking. After 1 hour, I patted it dry and repeated the broiler experiment. This time, the albumin stayed inside the fish and the flesh was nicely seasoned. But the uppermost part of the fish was still parched. What I needed was a way to help the fish brown as quickly as possible under the broiler so that I could lower the oven temperature and the salmon could cook gently for the bulk of the time. Sprinkling sugar over the top of the fish helped, but the color was still spotty—it was hard to evenly distribute the crystals—and rather pale. But what about honey? The sugars it contains caramelize more readily than white sugar. I used 2 tablespoons, which was enough to coat the entire fillet but not so much that the fish tasted sweet, and it was easy to brush on in an even layer (for more information, see “The Sweet Spot for Even Browning”). This time, the surface began to caramelize in 5 minutes and was nicely browned after 15, at which point I turned the oven Once the fish is done salting, it can be on the table in 30 minutes. And to 250 degrees and slow-roasted the fish either of our no-cook accompaniments can be prepared while it roasts. until done. The flesh was almost uniformly cooked from top to bottom, and it was betEmbroiled in Problems I tried one recipe that actually called for flipping the considerably on the tail end, so the browning was ter still when I tried again and turned down the oven fish halfway through cooking, which was a cruel mostly isolated to the thicker portion that was closest temperature after 10 minutes (doing so accounted proposition. I knew I could come up with a more to the broiler element. Meanwhile, the fierce heat had for any carryover cooking that occurred while the straightforward approach that would deliver the overcooked the top ½ inch of the thicker part and all broiler cooled). results I sought. I was interested in experimenting of the thinner ends and caused the with the broiler, which would be the surest way to fish to shed loads of albumin, the TECHNIQUE CUTTING PERFECT PORTIONS unsightly white protein that seeps apply concentrated heat to the fish’s surface. I placed a 5-pound (average weight for a whole out of overcooked fish. Don’t mar your perfectly cooked side of salmon with sloppy porside) salmon fillet on a rimmed baking sheet, slid it tioning. Here’s how to divvy up the illet into tidy pieces. onto an oven rack placed about 7 inches beneath a Honey-Do preheated broiler (which I hoped was enough distance The easiest way to prevent the from the element that the fish wouldn’t burn before tapered portions from overcookit was cooked through), and cooked it until the thick- ing was to do away with them. I est portion registered 125 degrees. That took about had the fishmonger lop off the tail 20 minutes, by which time the surface had quite a portion and belly flap, leaving me bit of uneven color. A whole side of salmon slopes with a uniformly thick fillet that weighed about 4 pounds, which was still plenty for at least eight Watch: Salmon for Company guests. (If you do buy a whole side, 1. Use thin metal spatula to cut 2. Insert spatula into illet at A step-by-step video is available see “Buying and Trimming a Side down center seam of illet to 45-degree angle, following grain, at CooksIllustrated.com/jun18 of Salmon” on page 28 for tips on halve ish lengthwise. to cut 8 to 10 equal portions. trimming the tail and belly flap.) COOK’S
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PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL TREMBLAY
he vast majority of the time when I cook salmon, I buy individual fillets for quick weeknight meals. They’re easy to pan-sear, poach, roast, or grill, and their uniform shape means they cook evenly. But salmon is ideal for entertaining, too. It requires little prep work; cooks faster than a roast or stew; dresses up beautifully with countless sauces, glazes, and rubs; and makes a striking centerpiece. But cooking a whole side of salmon—a single fillet that weighs 4 to 5 pounds and serves upwards of eight people—demands different considerations than cooking individual fillets does. The large fillet doesn’t fit in a skillet, so you can’t cook it on the stovetop. But cooking it in the oven comes with hurdles; namely, browning is more difficult without the stove’s intense heat. I wanted to come up with an approach for a whole roasted fillet that would be evenly moist inside and gorgeously browned on top. And since this salmon would be a for-company dish, I wanted bulletproof methods for shuttling the cooked fillet from pan to platter and for cutting tidy portions.
