Pepper Salmon

This is a simple and easy recipe from our dear friend Pat Wood. She is easily one of my favorite people in the world and an interior designer of great repute. Her husband, Bubba, a proprietor of Collectors Covey, a place where I dreamily gaze at beautiful landscape and wildlife art, and pick up pieces of Jan Barboglio and other table adornments. It is a consummately masculine gallery but it is also well stocked with gifts and goods that are not so much manly, as not overtly feminine, such as Gien Solange china, a pattern of which I am very fond.

Pat gave me this recipe recently when she and I were chatting about the great value of simple but elegant main course ideas. It has a lot of pepper on it so if you can moderate the pepper if you not a pepper lover.

2 pound salmon fillet (have the fishmonger remove the skin, or do so yourself)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet)

Mix the marinade ingredients and pour them over the salmon in a dish. Allow the fish to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to three hours. I marinated for about 45 minutes and the flavor was just starting to get good. I would recommend at least an hour. Also, you should turn the fish in the marinade once or twice.

Crack a lot of black pepper. Three tablespoons is a guideline and will result in a very spicy meal, but I love pepper so if you are feeling adventurous, crack more. When you are ready to cook, remove the fish from the marinade and cover both sides with the pepper. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Carefully lay the fillet into the skillet and let it cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a large spatula, or even 2 spatulas, carefully turn the fillet over to cook on the other side.

Pat gave me one more crucial tip that you will want to consider. Make enough of the salmon to have plan-overs. She says that this salmon, cold, on a salad is beyond compare. I will definitely be trying that the next time I make this. But, this time, my husband devoured every last bite. The sauce in the photos is simply and improvised remoulade sauce that I concocted to go alongside the salmon. It wasn’t necessary though it was nice. I didn’t think to write it down, if that tells you how integral it was to the dish. Enjoy!