Roast Salmon with Spicy Soy Oil
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1½ to 2 pounds salmon fillets, in 4 pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon slivered garlic
- 2 dried red chiles
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ cup trimmed and chopped scallions or ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro, optional
Instructions:
It doesn’t take much to cook salmon, or to dress it up, and there’s no way simpler than this.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. Put a 12-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and swirl it around. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and put it, skin side up, in the skillet. Sear for 1 minute until the salmon has browned. Turn the salmon and immediately transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a small saucepan with the sesame oil, garlic, and chiles and turn the heat to medium. Cook, gently shaking the pan occasionally until the garlic and chiles sizzle and the garlic colors lightly about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the chiles. (This step may be done in advance.) When the sauce cools a bit, add the soy sauce.
- The salmon will be medium-rare after about 6 minutes in the oven. Transfer it to a plate. Drizzle it with the oil, garnish if you like, and serve.