Wild Salmon & Fried Sage Gremolata
Melina Hammer
Photo by Melina Hammer
- Serves
- 2
- Prep Time
- 10 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 Minutes
Ingredients
For the Gremolata
- Finely grated zest from 3 lemons
- Zest strips from 1 Meyer lemon, any bitter white pith removed, sliced very thinly
- 1 tablespoon finely sliced garlic scapes or garlic chives, or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely sliced garlic chives
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Salmon and Fried Sage
- 1 pound wild sockeye salmon, portioned into 2 fillets
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Walnut oil
- 1 handful fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 Meyer lemon, cut in half horizontally
Featured Video
Wild Salmon & Fried Sage Gremolata
Reprinted with permission from A Year at Catbird Cottage: Recipes for a Nourished Life. Copyright © 2022 by Melina Hammer. Photography by Melina Hammer. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. As an Amazon Associate, Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.
Directions
For the Gremolata
- Step 1
In a small bowl, toss together lemon zest and strips, the garlic scapes, and garlic chives, and season with salt and pepper.
For the Salmon and Fried Sage
- Step 1
Prep the salmon: Pat the salmon dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Let sit at room temperature while you fry the sage.
- Step 2
Fry the sage leaves: Pour 2 tablespoons walnut oil into a heavy sauté pan set over medium heat and heat until shimmering. Panfry the sage leaves—they should sizzle on contact. Cook no more than 3 minutes, turning once. They will turn a vivid green through the process. Tap excess oil from each leaf as you remove them from the pan, then place on absorbent paper set on a wire rack.
- Step 3
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and when it shimmers, place the salmon skin side down. Sear for 3 minutes, or until the flesh becomes opaque around the edges.
- Step 4
Turn the fillets skin side up and add the butter, dragging it in between the two as it foams. Tilt the pan and baste the salmon with the hot fat, using a long-handled large spoon to avoid being burned; repeat tilting and basting for another minute as it cooks. Transfer the salmon to a serving platter.
- Step 5
Sear the lemon halves on medium heat in the remaining butter-oil mixture, 3 minutes or until charred to your liking.
- Step 6
Pile the fried sage leaves, layering with the gremolata mixture, onto the salmon and serve the seared lemons alongside. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once.