Crispy Skin Salmon with Gingery Greens
One of my all-time favorites, this features the rich flavor of salmon cut by sharp greens sparked with ginger. Steam the greens in advance if it’s more convenient for you.
Yield: 4 servings
Cooking Time: 40 minutes to 1 hour, plus time to preheat the grill
Ingredients
- 1 (2-pound) salmon fillet, skin on (but scaled), pin bones removed (below)
- 1 pound kale, collards, or other greens
- About 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Directions
1 Rinse the fish well and let it rest between paper towels, refrigerated, while you prepare the greens.
2 Wash the greens in several changes of water, and remove any pieces of stem thicker than ¼ inch in diameter. Steam or boil them in a medium covered saucepan over 1 inch of water until good and soft, 10 minutes or more, depending on the green (older collards will require 30 minutes). Drain them, rinse in cool water, squeeze dry, and chop.
3 Preheat a covered gas grill or start a charcoal fire in a grill that can be covered. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute; do not brown. Add the greens and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes; add the ginger and cook another minute, then add the soy sauce and sesame oil and turn off the heat. Remove to a platter and keep warm.
4 With a sharp knife, score the skin of the salmon in a cross-hatch pattern. Oil the fish well with the remaining olive oil. Put the fillet on the preheated grill, skin side down, and cover; alternatively, broil the salmon 4 inches from the heat source, skin side up. In either case, cook undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes, or until done.
5 Remove the fish carefully with a large spatula, and place it on top of the greens. Serve immediately, making sure everyone gets: a piece of skin.
Notes
REMOVING PIN BONES
Fillets of many fish, no matter how skillfully removed, may contain long bones along their center which must be removed by hand. Feel with your fingers to see if your fillet contains pin bones. Remove them with a needle-nose pliers or similar tool.
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