Pairing perfectly roasted salmon with a spiced-up honey-lime glaze required a cooking technique all its own. Slashing the skin encouraged it to render and crisp quickly, but we also needed to give the flesh a strong, flavorful crust that would stand up to (as well as hold on to) a thick coating of glaze.
Applying a rub of cornstarch and brown sugar to the flesh and searing it in a hot skillet provided that browned crust and firm texture on the double. Once flipped, the skin side needed just a minute to crisp. We spooned the thickened glaze over the fillets and transferred the skillet to a moderate oven where our salmon hit its target temperature in less than 10 minutes. Glossy and appealingly sweet-tart, these fillets were an easy, satisfying upgrade.
To ensure uniform pieces of fish, buy a whole center-cut fillet and cut it into four pieces. If your knife is not sharp enough to cut through the skin easily, try a serrated knife. You will need a 12-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet for this recipe.
HONEY-LIME GLAZED ROAST SALMON
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 40 minutes
Honey-lime glaze:
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salmon:
1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (13/4- to 2-pound) center-cut skin-on salmon fillet, 1 1/2 inches thick
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Nutrition information per serving: 364 calories; 123 calories from fat; 14 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 109 mg cholesterol; 254 mg sodium; 20 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 19 g sugar; 39 g protein.
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