Pan fried Salmon

Salmon is one of our favourite fish. It is packed with healthy omega-3 and does not have a fishy smell. For me, I like it as it is easy to prepare for cooking too. On busy days I would either steam it in soy sauce or pop into the oven with some herbs. This time I tried to pan fry it with very simple seasonings and it turned out to be quite nice too. I was inspired by a bento set with "salmon shioyaki" that I ate a few weeks ago. Delicious food does not have to be complicated! :)

Tip: You can click this video to check out how to pan fry salmon!  Gordon Ramsay's Crispy Salmon

Ingredients
Salmon
Lemon
Salt
Pepper
Spring onions (optional)

Recipe
1. Turn the salmon skin side up and make 2 cuts along the length. This is to allow the heat to distribute better and stop the salmon from curling up when you put it on the pan. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a little oil in the pan and place the salmon skin side down. Let it cook for at least 4-5 minutes. Be really patient and do not try to flip the salmon. You will see from the side that it will start turning pink from bottom up. Wait till it has reached the mid-way before flipping.
3. Flip the salmon to the other side and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes. Again, check from the side to see that it has turned fully pink. If you lift it up with your spatula and the surface has turned a nice brown colour, it is done.
4. Place it on the plate and whichever side is nicer facing up. Sprinkle some spring onions on top for garnish and put a few lemon slices at the side. Squeeze lemon juice on it before serving.

My first experience of pan frying fish was quite bad. It became "scrambled fish" and I tried many times before I get it right. Maybe that's why I enjoyed cooking cuz you can only get better and better when you do it many times!