Ghee Sautéed Salmon Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 salmon steaks
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1½ tablespoons Ghee
• lemon wedges, to serve
• vegetables, salad or roasted potatoes, to serve

STEPS

1. Pat 2 salmon steaks dry with kitchen paper and season both sides with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika.
2. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat and add 1½ tablespoons Ghee.
3. Once the Ghee is hot and shimmering, carefully place the salmon steaks into the pan.
4. Sauté for 4–5 minutes on the first side, without moving them, until deeply golden and crisp.
5. Turn the salmon carefully and cook for another 3–4 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
6. Reduce the heat to low and spoon the hot Ghee over the salmon for 30–60 seconds to keep it moist and flavourful.
7. Remove the salmon from the pan and rest for 2–3 minutes.
8. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and your choice of vegetables, salad or roasted potatoes.

NOTES

Why Ghee and not oil?

Ghee has a much higher smoke point than butter and a richer flavour than a neutral vegetable oil, so it can sear the salmon hard enough to crisp the skin without burning. Spooning the hot Ghee back over the fish as it finishes cooking also keeps it moist and carries that flavour right through.

A note on context:

Continuously spooning hot fat over food as it cooks is a well-known technique in Indian cooking, usually done with Ghee, and it works especially well with fish and steak — you get a hard sear without needing to turn the food too often and lose moisture.