Perfect Seared Salmon

Ingredients

1) Salmon fillet or steaks. For a fillet, buy the end near the head, where it is thick and you get the fatty rib section. Look for firm flesh, not mushy, that is glistening and not dried out. The quality of the fish is more important than the type of salmon. Be sure to pull out the pin bones. These are usually still in the middle of the fillets sticking straight up. you can easily feel the ends of the bones if you run your finger lengthwise across middle of the fillet.

Dry the fillet and sprinkle on some salt

2) Ghee, also called clarified butter. It has a smoke point of 480 degrees vs regular butter that smokes at 325

Instructions

1. Heat Pan to around 400℉. I use either a non-stick pan or well seasoned iron skillet. Use an infrared heat gun. They cost under $20 on Amazon. The important thing is that it is under the smoking point of the oil. you can use other oils, but they will likely have a lower smoke point, they won't taste nearly as good, and they won't brown as well.

If you don't have a decent vent hood over your stove, pan searing anything will tend to make your house smell like whatever you cooked. a solution to this quagmire is to put a cast iron skillet on a grill and heat it up to 400℉. or get an outdoor burner like this one on Amazon

2. Add 1 or 2 TBS of Ghee or clarified butter, depending on the size of the fish
3. Carefully add salmon skin side up, dropping the part furthest from you last, so oil doesn't splash you!

4. Don't pack fillets touching each other. The pan temp will quickly drop when the fish hits the surface so keep the heat on high. As the fish cooks, the pan temp will start to increase, so keep an eye on the temp. Don't let the oil smoke. Cook until you have a nice brown crust then turn over

5. You can turn the heat down after flipping and cook slowly or finish in a 300℉ oven with a thermometer in the thickest part. Bake to a temperature of 118℉

6. Serve plain with a little lemon, on some vegetables, or on a salad.