Salmon will be 'tastiest' if you stop pan frying it and use easy 7-minute method instead

Salmon is a delicious oily fish that is packed with omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins that help maintain the nervous system and support heart health. However, cooking salmon correctly can be a challenge. Some chefs recommend pan-frying salmon for the best results, but this can be difficult for amateur chefs. Pan-frying salmon incorrectly can cause the skin to stick to the pan and the flesh to turn dry.

Luckily, Express.co.uk spoke to head chef Connor Robson from modern Italian restaurant, Bar Gigi, who shared his tips for cooking the "tastiest" salmon. Rather than pan-frying salmon, the chef suggested curing the fish and then poaching it to avoid overcooking.

He said: "Salmon is a great fatty fish that is flaky and delicate. One of the tastiest ways to cook it is by curing it in equal parts salt and sugar for 20 minutes, which you then wash off in ice-cold water and pat dry.

"Poaching salmon in a high-fat mixture is the ideal way to avoid overcooking it and adds moisture to the dish. Get 200g of unsalted butter and mix with the juice of half a lemon and the peel of a full lemon, and poach for seven to eight minutes.

"The salmon should be soft to the touch and still pink on the inside. Salmon is often a fish that many people overcook. If you can see white lines between the flakes, it means it's overcooked."

He suggested pairing the salmon with a hollandaise sauce, blanched asparagus and roasted fennel for a delicious dish.

To make the hollandaise, you can use the butter from the poached salmon to avoid food waste.

The asparagus only needs to be cooked in boiling water for 60 seconds, while the fennel roasts for 12 to 18 minutes in the oven.

If you want to try this quick yet delicious salmon dish, Mr Robson has provided his recipe below:

Poached salmon with asparagus and hollandaise sauce (serves four)

Ingredients

For the salmon

• Salmon (one piece per person)
• Salt
• Sugar
• 200g Unsalted Butter
• Two lemons (juice of half, and the peel of another)

For the hollandaise

• Two egg yolks
• 200g butter (use the mixture from the poached salmon)
• 15ml white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the asparagus and confit fennel

• 12 asparagus spears (three per person)
• Salt and black pepper
• Pink peppercorns
• One tsp fennel seeds
• One sprig of rosemary
• Olive oil

Method

For the salmon

Cure the salmon in a mixture of half salt and half sugar for 20 minutes. To calculate the curing ratio, use half the fish's weight divided by two.

Wash the salmon off in ice-cold water and pat dry.

In a bowl, poach the salmon in a mixture of 200g unsalted butter, the juice of half a lemon and the peel of a full lemon. Poach for seven to eight minutes.

When the salmon is soft to the touch and still pink, remove the fish.

For the hollandaise sauce

Whisk two egg yolks with 15ml of white wine vinegar.

Whisk over a bain-marie until the yolks become pale and fluffy and can fold back over themselves easily.

Pour the warm butter mixture from the poached fish into the yolk mixture and mix, or pour 200g of melted butter into the yolk mixture and mix.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve on top of your salmon.

For the asparagus and fennel

While the fish is cooking, cook three spears of asparagus per person in boiling water for 60 seconds.

Slice the fennel in quarters and mix with salt and black pepper, olive oil, a bay leaf, pink peppercorns, one teaspoon of fennel seeds and one spring of rosemary.

Roast the fennel in the oven at 180 degrees for 12 to 18 minutes.

Serve both alongside the salmon and drizzle the hollandaise sauce over the top.