SWEET CHILI SALMON

This easy fish dish is not really sweet nor terribly chili-ish but just the right combination of both. I liked the idea of pairing my Black Bean Pasta salad with some salmon flavored with chili powder and when I googled “chili and salmon,” a plethora of ideas emerged. I based this on a fine recipe from the blog A BEAUTIFUL PLATE and blogger Laura Davidson got the recipe from Andie Mitchell’s book, EATING IN THE MIDDLE. With a couple of twists and shortening of the name, I’m happy to share it yet further. Who knows what you’ll do with it next?! While I made the fish in a stovetop grill pan, it could easily be made on a plancha or in a cast iron skillet on an outdoor grill.

Ingredients

LIME CREMA:

½ cup sour cream
Zest of half lime-use rest for garnish
Juice of one lime- or more to taste
Dash of hot sauce
Pinch each salt and pepper

SALMON:

¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon EACH: brown sugar and chili powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, plus extra for garnish
Pinch ground cayenne pepper or more to taste
4 (3-5 oz) center-cut salmon fillets with skin

Instructions

MAKE THE CREMA:

In a small bowl, whisk together the crema ingredients and set side. (The original calls for avocado; use ½ avocado in place of half the sour cream if you’d like. I tried it both ways and liked the Lime Crema better.)

GRILL THE SALMON:

Mix the brown sugar, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a small cup. Set aside.
Heat a stovetop grill pan (or large heavy skillet) over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Drizzle olive oil in a zig zag pattern in the general shape of one salmon fillet; repeat for the other three, leaving a little space between them. Heat another minute.
Meanwhile, pat the salmon fillets dry on both sides with paper towels. Dividing it evenly, sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the fleshy sides of the fillets (not on the skin side).
Lay the fillets skin side down on the grill pan on each outline of oil and cook without moving for 4 minutes. Carefully turn each fillet over using tongs and cook another 3 minutes or 4 minutes depending on the weight of the fish. The salmon should be just firm but still moist at the center. (FDA indicates 145F for fish. I like medium to medium-rare salmon, so I’d take them off at 125F and let them come up a little as they rest.)
Remove from grill and let rest a minute or two. You can drizzle pan juices over the fish if you like. Top fillets with a dollop of Lime Crema, a grate or two of lime zest, and some black pepper. Serve with Black Bean Pasta Salad. (Store leftovers well-wrapped in the refrigerator 3 days. Do not freeze.)