Avalon’s Spice-rubbed Salmon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 7-ounce salmon fillets, skin on
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed (optional)
In a small bowl, mix together coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Spread across the bottom of a flat, shallow pan that is large enough to hold all the fillets. Lay fillets on spice mixture, skin side up, flesh side against the spices. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until ready to cook.
To cook salmon: Heat oven to 400° F. Remove salmon from spice rub. Using your hands, rub spices into fish and brush off excess, leaving a bit of color and some specks of spice, but not a thick coat (which would blacken and fall off when cooked).
Heat a grill to medium, or place a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. If using a skillet, coat it with a thin layer of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons or as needed depending on skillet size.
When oil is hot, add fillets to skillet, flesh side down, skin side up, leaving about 1 inch between fillets (if skillet is small, cook fish two at a time). Brown salmon lightly, until it turns an attractive shade of golden brown, with a bit of caramelization around the edges (about 3 to 4 minutes, depending on burner heat and pan thickness). If you wish, flip fish and cook skin until crispy.
Turn salmon skin side down and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven until done, about 20 minutes. Most people will like it best when salmon is opaque but still appears shiny wet don’t try to dry it out. The fish will cook a bit after being removed from the oven, so it can be easy to overcook.
Serves 4.
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