Sheet Pan Blackened Salmon with Garlicky Kale
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 508
- Total Fat
- 28
- Saturated Fat
- 5
- Carbohydrates
- 12
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 3
- Protein
- 53
- Cholesterol
- 102
- Sodium
- 774
- Total: 45 min
- Active: 25 min
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
Four 8-ounce portions wild salmon, skin on, pin bones removed
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 large bunch Tuscan kale, (about 12 ounces) stemmed and torn into bite-size pieces
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Grated zest and juice from 1 large lime
1 teaspoon honey
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Set an oven rack in the lower-middle position.
- Prepare the salmon: Use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to grease the bottom of a rimmed sheet pan. Place the salmon, skin side down, on a flat surface and season with salt. In a small bowl, mix together the cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and mustard and set aside. Sift an even layer of the spices over the salmon and arrange filets skin side down, on the baking sheet, with space between each.
- Prepare the kale: In a medium bowl, massage the kale with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic. Arrange it all around (but not covering) the fish on the pan. Sprinkle the oregano on top of the salmon.
- Cook the salmon: Place the pan in the lower-middle rack and roast for 10 to 12 minutes for medium to medium-rare salmon. (For well-done fish, leave in the oven an additional 5-8 minutes.) Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle all of the lime zest and juice over the fish. Drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.
Cook’s Note
This is my weeknight version of a classic Louisiana cooking technique. The original technique of blackening comes from a Louisiana icon: Chef Paul Prudhomme. The original technique calls for dipping the protein, often Salmon or Redfish, in melted butter and then a mix of spices, like a local Louisiana Masala. Blackening often has a few spices like mustard, garlic and ginger that offer a mild tingle, mixed with a few like cayenne pepper that pack a lot of heat. Traditionally, you let the butter firm up on the fish with the spices like a buttery spicy shell and sear it in a roaring hot (usually cast iron) pan. It forms almost a crust, with extra fat from the butter, which is both charred and spicy. I like to "sift" an even layer of spices over the fish. If you don't have a strainer or sieve, sprinkle over the fish directly. I love Tuscan kale the most and it is the most easily found in supermarkets. The sturdy leaves pack a taste that reminds me of leafy spinach mixed with a stronger mystery cousin. The Kale is made tender by absorbing the olive oil it is tossed with and not from acidic ingredients like vinegar and lime juice, a tidbit I learned from food guru J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.