I have been getting lots of questions recently about how to cook salmon. Being the expert on the controlled application of heat of one particular member of the genus Oncorhynchus, of which exist a plethora of species variants, commonly known as Salmon, I figured I'd drop some knowledge. How long should I cook it for Grande? Should I wrap it in tin foil? How do I grill it? When should I glaze? These are all great inquiries that have rather simple answers. Salmon is a very oil-rich fish which makes it so great for a myriad of cooking techniques and heat applications. Grilling, baking, sauteing, poaching and steaming are all great ways. As far as cooking times go- buy a thermometer!!! You can buy a nice digital one from Bed Bath and Beyond or just use the trusty old-fashioned ones. They work great and I prefer them. Cook your salmon to an internal temp of 160 F if you want it well done. I prefer my salmon cooked medium with an internal temp of about 150. Take notice of the texture of the fish as well as the firmness. Let your instincts guide you, use the thermometer to be shure. Keep in mind the thickness or cut of fish you are cooking. If the piece of filet is a tail section it will cook a lot faster than a piece from the middle. If its a piece closer to the shoulder the flatter part will cook through and dry out before the meaty part is close to done. People also have been curious as to how to cook salmon on a wooden plank on a grill. This is easy! Just get a board! No really find a nice piece of wood (untreated!) from the hardware store, or they can sometimes be found at your local supermarket and certainly online. Woods like cedar, cherry, maple, or hickory are ideal. Make sure to completely submerge the plank in water overnight, minimum a few hours. The wooden plank method is not suggested for indoor use as the wood will smoke a good bit. Now folks, get your grill HOT! I can't tell you how many times I've seen people cooking on a grill that couldn't melt a chocotaco. The important thing to remember here is to put the plank on the top rack, for it will certainly burn on the bottom rack. Make sure to keep the grill closed. Basically what your doing here is "baking" the salmon. You can apply a glaze pretty much any time during the cooking process, but keep in mind the sugar content. Most store bought glazes carry with them a high sucrose content and will easily caramelize too much if applied early on. I like to glaze during the last minute or so of cooking and just let it soak into the fish with a nice light carmelization. Remember people COOKING IS FUN! Don't stress too much on whether or not your doing something right! Half the fun of cooking is doing it your way and how you like, and with a few basic pointers under your buckle, you will be impressing your family and friends time and time again, because you cooked a piece of fish with a piece of wood from an old swingset you found in the alley!! Hell YA! Get out there are cook!
Spanish Slang of the Day
"la reja" - "chin" or "trap"
ej: "cierra la reja!"
ex: "shut your trap!"
