Quick, yummy, and good for you! It checks all the boxes for me 🙂 . I really love this homemade chili rub — it’s full of flavor, but with just a hint of sweetness. Food rubs for salmon often have way too much sugar, which can overwhelm the flavor of the fish along with everything else on the plate.
Chili Rubbed Salmon with Crispy Skin
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp. paprika
- 2 Tbsp. Ancho chili powder
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. Stevia (or sugar if you prefer)
- 4 salmon filets, skin on, 6-8 ounces each depending on your preference
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lemon, quartered
Prepare the rub: combine cumin, garlic powder, paprika, Ancho chili powder, salt, and stevia in a bowl and mix thoroughly. If not using immediately, store in an airtight container.
Prepare the salmon. Gently score the salmon skin multiple times, but do not cut too deeply, or your salmon will overcook. Scoring the salmon skin keeps the filet cooking flat in the skillet and also makes it crispy. See the link to Gordon Ramsay’s salmon video below for method if you haven’t done this before.
Season the salmon. Don’t do this more than 10-15 minutes before cooking because the salt tends to dehydrate the fish. Allow salmon to come to room temperature before cooking ( — will take about 15 – 20 minutes to reach room temperature).
Heat your skillet on medium high heat until really hot. Test by dropping a little water on the skillet. If it evaporates immediately, you’re ready to go. Add your oil, and when the oil is hot, gently place salmon filets into skillet, skin-side down.
Cook the salmon skin side down (don’t fiddle with it!) until you see the lighter cooked color has moved about 2/3 of the way up the fish. How long? It depends on the thickness of your fish. Probably 4-5 minutes on the skin side. Then turn your fish. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Turn the fish back onto its skin side, squeeze lemon over fish, and remove skillet from heat. Allow salmon to remain in the pan while you plate the rest of your dish.
I served my salmon with a pearl couscous seasoned with sautéed shallots and garlic, along with sautéed spinach. (I’ll share the pearl couscous recipe next week). I placed my salmon skin-side down out of habit, but if you serve it skin-side up, it will stay crispier 🙂 . Another fantastic addition would be some fresh tzatziki sauce.
Cooking method: if you haven’t cooked salmon this way before, it never hurts to watch the master at work!
