Secret to the Perfect Seared Salmon

BY ERIC GUIDO | MAY 08, 2020

I absolutely adore seared salmon.  

As a lover of all things meat, and being a huge fan of grilled and pan-seared steaks, there is no other fish that speaks to my soul as well as a seared piece of salmon. It provides a hearty, flavorful, and texturally seductive experience, which bridges the gap between sea and land. However, like most people, seared salmon was one of the most intimidating preparations for me to start making at home. I would go through attempt after attempt trying to understand how to get that perfect sear without overcooking, sticking to the pan, tearing the skin or mutilating the meat itself. I tried every manner of non-stick cookware, which helped with the sticking, yet it still failed to properly sear. I then gave up on the sear for a while and resorted to the broiler, which provided a crispy exterior, yet usually an overcooked interior, and the skin side was never quite right.  

In the end, it wasn’t even culinary school that finally opened my eyes, nor was it an executive chef at a restaurant where I worked.  

Instead, it was a night shift commis (basically a junior chef in training with no official schooling) who had been tasked with working the grill one evening while I was watching over the kitchen and helping to cater a party we had going on in our penthouse. These were always the most stressful times, working with a skeleton crew and often staffed by the “new guys”, while feeding the late-night crowd of the restaurant and sending tray after tray of hors d’oeuvres up to a party. That’s when an order for our pan-seared salmon with garlic butter and squash noodles came up on a ticket, along with eight other entrees that were all gnocchi, risottos and pasta. This was a nightmare situation in our busy kitchen because that one ticket took up every burner we had, and nearly everything on it was my responsibility. Meanwhile, the commis stood by watching, without anything to do. Then a miracle in disguise took place; our commis offered to handle the salmon…stating, “I’ve seared salmon a hundred times.”

Of course, I was skeptical, but if there was one thing that working in restaurants had taught me, it’s that even the lowest man on the totem pole often has a skill set that can outmatch the rest of us. And so, out of desperation, I set him to the task. To my surprise, he didn’t even need to use one of my burners; instead he removed the grill from its seat over the flames and replaced it with a large cast-iron pan that I had never seen used in that kitchen before. He then gave it a quick seasoning with hot canola oil, wiped it down, and went on to cook one of the most uniform, perfectly seared pieces of salmon that I had ever seen.

When the ticket was done, perfectly timed and all, and the plates were on their way to the table, I quickly humbled myself and asked our commis / grill man, “Can you teach me?”

That was fifteen years ago, and that one night changed everything about how I have prepared this dish ever since. Today, when salmon is on the menu, there are smiles all around.

Now, I’m going to show you just how easy it is to sear salmon. No sticking, no mutilated meat, perfectly cooked, seared and with a crispy skin.

Let’s get to it.