Pan Fried Salmon Recipe

Salmon is one of those things that looks simple to cook and is genuinely easy to get slightly wrong, skin that won't crisp, flesh that sticks and tears when you try to turn it, or a fillet that's overcooked at the edges before the middle's properly done. Most of that comes down to the pan and the heat rather than the fish itself. Cooked on a griddle, with a bit of attention to a couple of details specific to fish, it's a fairly quick, reliable method that gets a genuinely good result.

Why a ridged surface suits salmon better than you'd expect

Salmon skin, cooked well, should end up properly crisp, and getting there depends on the same thing as most crisping does, drying the surface out and letting fat render away rather than pooling underneath. A flat pan does this reasonably well, but a ridged surface like the Pep Round Griddle does it more effectively, since the fat that renders out of the skin as it cooks runs straight down into the channels rather than sitting under the fillet. Skin sitting in its own rendered fat is part of why it can end up soft rather than crisp, even after a reasonable amount of time in the pan.

The other advantage is more about handling than heat. Salmon flesh is delicate and prone to sticking and tearing on a surface that isn't properly non-stick, which is often where people lose confidence with pan frying fish in the first place. A good non-stick coating on the griddle means the fillet releases cleanly when it's ready to turn, rather than fighting you and leaving half the skin behind in the pan.

Getting the fillet ready

• Pat the skin completely dry with kitchen paper before it goes anywhere near the pan. This matters more for fish skin than almost anything else you'd cook, any surface moisture left on it turns straight to steam the moment it hits a hot surface, and steam is the reason skin goes soft rather than crisp.

• Score the skin lightly, two or three shallow cuts, if it's a thicker fillet. This helps it lie flatter against the ridges rather than curling up as it cooks, since fish skin naturally contracts with heat.

• Bring it to room temperature for ten minutes or so before cooking. Cold fish straight from the fridge drops the pan's temperature the moment it goes on, which slows down the crisping process right when you need it working fastest.

• Season just before cooking, salt draws moisture out, so seasoning too far in advance works against the drying you've just done.

Cooking method

1. Heat the griddle over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes before anything goes on. You want real heat here, salmon skin needs a confident sizzle the moment it makes contact, not a slow warm-up.

2. Add a small amount of oil, a neutral oil with a high smoke point, olive oil or sunflower both work well. Salmon has enough natural fat that you don't need much.

3. Place the fillet skin-side down and press gently with a fish slice for the first 10 to 15 seconds. This stops the skin curling away from the ridges before it's had a chance to make proper contact.

4. Leave it alone. This is the part people struggle with most, resist checking or moving the fillet. Skin-side down usually needs 4 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness, and it should release cleanly from the griddle on its own once it's properly crisp. If it's sticking and resisting when you try to check, it isn't ready yet.

5. Flip once, using a wide fish slice to support the whole fillet rather than just lifting from one edge, salmon can flake apart if it's not properly supported during the turn.

6. Cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes on the flesh side, less if the fillet is thin. The flesh should still have a very slight give in the thickest part, salmon carries on cooking a little after it comes off the heat, so slightly underdone at this stage is safer than pushing it too far.

7. Rest for a minute before serving, loosely covered, to let the residual heat finish the job without drying out the fillet.

How to tell it's done without cutting into it

Press gently on the thickest part of the fillet with a fork or your finger, it should flake slightly and feel firm but still yield a little, rather than feeling completely solid. A completely firm fillet has usually gone past the point you want. If you're not confident judging it by feel, a temperature check is more reliable, salmon is done at around 50 to 52°C in the middle for a slightly pink, moist result, or closer to 55 to 58°C if you prefer it cooked through more fully.

What to serve it with

Griddled salmon pairs well with things that can go on the same pan straight after, or even alongside it if there's room:

• Asparagus or tenderstem broccoli, griddled for a couple of minutes until just tender with some colour on the ridges

• New potatoes, halved and griddled cut-side down after being parboiled, so they're already soft in the middle

• A simple squeeze of lemon and some fresh dill, which is genuinely all a well-cooked fillet needs

Cleaning up afterwards

Fish skin that's released cleanly from the griddle doesn't tend to leave much stuck-on residue behind, a good sign the cooking's gone right in the first place. Any rendered fat that's collected in the channels can be wiped out with kitchen paper while the pan's still warm, followed by a normal wash. Avoid anything abrasive on the non-stick surface, a soft sponge and a bit of warm water is usually enough, even after fish, provided the skin came away cleanly rather than sticking and leaving flakes behind.

Once you've got a feel for the timing, salmon on a griddle is one of the quicker things you can cook well, skin properly crisp, flesh moist rather than dried out, and very little clean-up to show for it afterwards. Check out the square Pep Griddle Pan HERE!