5 Ingredient Scandinavian Salmon Rub Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What seasoning should I put on salmon? ›

Spices: Dried spices, such as onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin, can add depth of flavor to salmon. Smoked paprika or sweet paprika can add smokiness to the salmon. To add heat, try chili powder, cayenne pepper, jerk seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or Chinese five-spice powder.

The best herbs to use on salmon are parsley, dill, basil, tarragon, sage, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, cilantro and fennel.

After drying, make sure to season the salmon generously with salt and pepper on both sides. If you have a little time to spare, seasoning it at least 45 minutes in advance and letting it rest in the fridge up to several hours can help the fish retain more moisture as it cooks.

Remove any bones with fish tweezers. Pat the skin side of the fish dry with a paper towel. Season the skin with sea salt to add crispiness. Place a fry pan on medium-high heat and add olive oil for cooking.

Pat seafood dry before cooking.

You can prevent your fish fillets from having an unpleasant mushy texture by using a paper towel to pat each one dry before cooking. Removing this moisture from the outside of the fish won't make the meat dry out.

A dry brine gives you firmer, juicier fish fillets with kettle-chip-crisp skin. Credit... Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times.

Does salmon taste better with butter or oil? ›

A seared fish necessity. Butter + Oil. Butter makes everything better, and the oil is key for helping create the crispy exterior. Make sure to use an oil with a high smoke point like canola, grapeseed, or avocado oil to avoid burning it.

Moisten with Broth: If the salmon is extremely dry, gently simmer it in a flavorful broth or wine to rehydrate and infuse it with flavor. Add Moisture: Top the salmon with slices of citrus fruits (lemon, orange) before cooking or serve it with a fresh salsa or fruit relish to add moisture.

Creamy Horseradish Dill Sauce

Salmon and dill is a classic flavor combo. Mayo is the base of this creamy dill sauce for salmon. It's transformed into a sauce with basic ingredients like shallots, lemon, and herbs. To make it special, the addition of freshly grated horseradish root adds spice.

Crowd pleasing sauces

Of course there are plenty of familiar favourites that pair well with salmon; garlic butter sauce, teriyaki or hollandaise to name just a few (the latter being more for your inner masterchef).

Gordon uses Cajun seasoning which usually combines paprika, Italian seasoning, and cayenne pepper.

Just before grilling, sprinkle the skin side of the salmon with the salt, pepper, and/or any additional seasonings (wait until just before grilling to salt the salmon so that you don't draw out excess moisture). Rub lightly if needed so the salmon is coated evenly with the seasoning.

For grilled salmon with a Cajun flair, try this spice mixture that blends coriander, cumin, paprika and other spices. After you apply the rub, you'll want to let the salmon sit for a spell to soak in all the flavors, but you'll find the wait time is much less than what you'd need for a comparable marinade.

Oil, salt and pepper – Drizzle the fish with a tiny bit of oil and spread with fingers, just to give the salt and pepper something to adhere to. Make sure you do this only just before cooking, because the salt will draw moisture out of the salmon skin and make it sweat = bad for crispy skin!