Everyday Salmon With Tangy Cucumbers and Fried Shallots

Name: Everyday Salmon With Tangy Cucumbers and Fried Shallots
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 3 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced; 1/3 cup canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil; Kosher salt; 1 1/2 to 3 pounds skin-on salmon fillet; Kosher salt and ground black pepper; 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more as needed; 1 lemon; Flaky sea salt, for serving; 4 small Persian cucumbers or 1 large hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped; 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes; Kosher salt and ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil

By Alison Roman

Total Time: 35 minutes
Rating: 4(519)
Comments: Read comments

A large piece of fish, like salmon, cod or halibut, cooked for less than 20 minutes in a cloak of olive oil, makes an ultimate low-pressure, unfussy main course that you can further dress up however you please. Set out the salmon with a big bowl of buttered rice, fried shallots, spicy cucumbers and other crunchy, lightly pickled vegetables for snacking. If you like, add jammy eggs for sauciness and salmon eggs for saltiness (and the opportunity to say “eggs on eggs!”), and you’ve got yourself quite a spread.

Featured in: How to Eat in 2019

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 8 servings

For the Salty Fried Shallots

3large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
⅓cup canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil
Kosher salt

For the Salmon

1½ to 3pounds skin-on salmon fillet
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
⅓cup olive oil, plus more as needed
1lemon
Flaky sea salt, for serving

For the Spicy, Tangy Cucumbers

4small Persian cucumbers or 1 large hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
3tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
2teaspoons Aleppo pepper or ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2tablespoons olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

Step 1
If serving the shallots, combine shallots and oil in a small pot or skillet. Heat over medium and cook until shallots begin to sizzle and fry in the oil, 3 to 4 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling the pot or skillet occasionally, until the shallots begin to sizzle less and brown more, another 3 to 4 minutes. Once they’re just starting to turn a nice golden brown, remove from heat. (They will continue to brown in the oil, so pull them before you think they’re ready.) Use a slotted spoon or mesh strainer to transfer shallots to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately season with lots of salt and set aside to cool.
Step 2
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season salmon with salt and pepper and place in a large baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and place in oven. Roast until the edges are opaque and the fish is just cooked through in the center, 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare, 15 to 18 minutes for more well done. Meanwhile, thinly slice half the lemon and pick out any seeds. (Save the other half of the lemon for serving alongside.)
Step 3
If serving the cucumbers, combine cucumbers, vinegar and Aleppo pepper in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit a few minutes, tossing occasionally to evenly season. Drizzle with olive oil before serving.
Step 4
Remove salmon from oven and transfer to a large serving platter. (Alternatively, feel free to serve in the baking dish.) Scatter lemon slices over and nestle remaining lemon alongside for squeezing over. Sprinkle with flaky salt before serving with the cucumbers, shallots or both if you like, and perhaps quick pickles, buttered rice, jammy eggs or more fish (see note below).

Tips

Here are a few other things to set out to add more to the meal.
More fish: Double down on the seafood experience with a jar of trout or salmon roe, high-quality tinned fish like sardines, or a smoked fish like trout or sable to snack on.
Buttered rice: Steamed rice is good, buttered rice is better. Stir a few tablespoons of butter into warm rice and season with salt and pepper before setting out (topped with more butter, of course).
Jammy eggs: I find a 7-minute egg to be the ideal for this scenario: The yolk is jammy and just set, and the white is firm. If you prefer something runnier, go for a 6-minute egg. If you prefer something firmer, go for an 8-minute egg.

Ratings

4 out of 5

519 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Melissa6 years ago

I make jammy eggs like this: I put five eggs in a small pot in which they just fit, just cover them with water from the sink, put the lid on, put them on high heat, and stay in the kitchen. When they come to a rolling boil, I turn the heat off and let the eggs sit in the water for exactly nine minutes. I pour out the hot water and run cold water in until the eggs are lukewarm. Perfect eggs.

mary donovan6 years ago

I believe Allison felt the directions under " tips" were adequate. I think the confusion comes from "cookbook-see" ( the tendency to give everything a mouthwatering title upgrade), and that Jammy eggs is just a nice way of saying soft boiled eggs.

Susan6 years ago

You can buy excellent Asian fried onions (which are actually shallots). They have ones that have flour and others that are just shallots and oil. I guess you could make your own but if the goal is something quick and easy, why would you?

Julie3 years ago

I made this as written, including the jammy egg- and it was really fantastic. Salmon came out perfect and the egg added a little extra richness that was so satisfying. #theperfectbite

Dale3 years ago

This was an extremely quick and easy recipe to make. My husband and I both loved it. Have shared it now with a few friends. It is a perfect recipe for those busy days. I also made pickled radishes in addition to the pickled cucumbers.

Laura S.3 years ago

For those whose fish took longer to cook: The recipe calls for 1½ - 3lbs of fish. I would think the amount of time it takes to cook would depend of what size used. Just saying…

Private comments are only visible to you.