Boas Comidas

Glossário Culinário

Salmon

Ingrediente

Também chamado de
Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon

Salmon is a fish with pink or orange flesh and mild flavor, living between rivers and sea, which won over Brazilian cooking in dishes from herb-baked fillets to sushi. With well-distributed natural fat, it turns tender and juicy with quick cooking and pairs with citrus sauces, herbs, and capers.

Characteristics

The most common salmon in Brazil is farmed, with orange, tender flesh, sold in fillets with or without skin, in steaks, or already sliced for raw preparations. The pink color comes from the fish’s diet and varies in intensity without indicating quality on its own. The skin helps protect the flesh in the oven and skillet and turns crispy when well browned. There is also smoked salmon and cured salmon, like gravlax, in thin slices with delicate flavor.

Uses in the kitchen

Salmon goes baked, grilled, and seared in the skillet, skin-side down until browned, and pairs with passion fruit sauces, capers, butter, and herbs. Raw and very fresh, it stars in sushi, sashimi, tartare, and ceviche. Flaked or cubed, it enriches salads, pastas, and risottos, and trimmings make pâtés and fillings. The ideal doneness leaves the center still moist and pink.

Substitutions

In baked and grilled dishes, salmon trout is the closest swap in color and texture. For raw preparations like tartare and poke, fresh, responsibly sourced tuna works well, with a stronger flavor. In everyday recipes, tilapia and other white fish take the same sauces, with leaner flesh. Smoked salmon can be swapped for homemade cured salmon in canapés and salads.

Fun facts

Gravlax, of Nordic origin, is salmon cured in salt, sugar, and dill, without smoking — a simple technique to make at home with very fresh fish. Practical tip: take the fish out of the fridge a few minutes before cooking and do not overcook it, as it keeps cooking in residual heat. Thin pin bones come out easily with tweezers, pulling in the direction of the flesh.

Recipes with salmon

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