What if I told you that you could recreate restaurant-style salmon, with a crisp crust and flaky inside, at home? And that instead of paying $35-$40 per plate, you could feed four people for the same price? Here are two easy ideas for delicious, restaurant-style salmon and wine pairing.
An Overview of Salmon and Wine Pairing
Rich, earthy, and faintly briny – with its distinctive flavors, it’s no wonder salmon is a restaurant staple. Salmon doesn’t require braising, breading, or any other time-consuming techniques to prepare. It is naturally flavorful. Even simple seasonings and sauces can unlock its full glory.
With its higher fat content, salmon is one of the most versatile fish to pair with wine. It has the meatiness to match light red wines, but is delicate enough to pair with many white wines. From steaming, to grilling, to sweet glazes, to buttery reductions, its many preparations create diverse wine pairing opportunities.
Tips for Restaurant-Style Salmon
Generally, most American restaurant menus feature seared salmon, not baked or steamed salmon. Searing is my favorite salmon preparation because it creates a crisp exterior, but a creamy, tender interior.
However, searing fish is an exacting technique. It requires attention to avoid tough, overcooked fish, or undercooked fish stuck to the pan. That said, you too can create perfectly-seared salmon at home, with some simple steps.
- Do not attempt to flip a filet until it lets you! If your spatula meets resistance and cannot slide easily under the fish, it is not done cooking yet. Flipping at this point will result in a flaky mess and caked-up pan. Usually, 3-4 minutes of cooking on medium-high heat should be enough for the fish to pull away from the pan and allow turning.
- Invest in a quality stainless steel or cast iron pan. I have found that some lower-quality stainless steel pans, particularly with thinner bottoms, do not hold heat as well and produce a subpar sear. Similarly, nonstick pans, while great for amateur cooks who want to avoid getting the fish stuck to the pan, produce less sear.
- Let salmon rest for 10 minutes before enjoying. Especially if you are going for medium-rare or medium salmon, this is an important step. The resting will allow the less-cooked salmon meat to firm up and flake easily under your fork. If you try to consume it immediately off the heat, it will not be as flaky.
The Wine Pairings, Rated
One of the most important factors in a successful wine pairing with salmon is its preparation. As a general rule, match the flavors in your seasoning to the wine. I compared three different wine pairings side by side. Here’s how they fared.
Salmon Simply Seasoned with Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts: Frankly, salt/pepper/olive oil salmon was the least remarkable pairings. While it wasn’t bad, none of the wines stood out against plainly seasoned salmon. Wine is quite acidic. Salmon, on the other hand, is only mildly acidic. As such, the Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Noir’s acidity came off a bit strong against the backdrop of neutrally-flavored salmon.
Conclusion: For a truly delicious salmon and wine pairing, you need a flavorful sauce or seasoning to counterbalance the wine’s acidity, and bring out its aromatics.
Lemon Garlic Butter-Seared Salmon with Chardonnay
Rating: 9/10
Thoughts: One of the most common aromatics in Chardonnay is lemon or lemon curd. So, lemon makes an excellent bridge ingredient that magically helps salmon pair beautifully with Chardonnay. To take the edge off lemon juice, simply simmer it with with butter or cream to add richness. Lemon butter sauce reduces the perception of acidity in the Chardonnay, letting its other tree fruit and floral aromatics shine. When spooned over the salmon, the buttery fish marries seamlessly with the creamy texture and toasty aromatics of lightly-oaked Chardonnay.
Conclusion: A lightly-oaked New World-style Chardonnay, particularly from California’s Russian River Valley or Sonoma Coast, is delicious with lemon butter salmon.
Soy-Glazed Salmon with Pinot Noir
Rating: 10/10
Thoughts: Glazing salmon in a lightly-sweetened soy sauce amplifies its savory, earthy flavors. Pinot Noir has similar earthy, forest floor, and mushroom notes that are perfect with these aromatics. Meanwhile, salmon’s delicate fat and Pinot Noir’s tannins have just the right level of intensity to balance each other out, letting other red fruit and spice flavors sing.
Conclusion: The approachable fruit of New World-style Pinot Noir is a winning match for the mix of both sweet and savory flavors of soy-glazed salmon. Consider Pinot Noir from Australia’s Yarra Valley or Adelaide Hills, New Zealand’s Central Otago, or California’s Sonoma region.
Easy Lemon Butter Salmon Paired with Chardonnay
Ingredients
- 2 six ounce salmon filets
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil or other cooking oil
Instructions
- Pat dry salmon filets and season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer butter, lemon juice, garlic, honey, and salt for 5-6 minutes, until ingredients are integrated.
- Heat oil in a large stainless steel or cast iron pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add salmon filets. Do not touch them until they start to peel away from the pan, 3-4 minutes, and can be easily turned with a thin metal spatula. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the opposite side.
- Remove salmon to a plate and let it rest for 10 minutes. Spoon sauce over salmon and enjoy with Chardonnay!
Enjoyed this wine pairing with salmon? Check out our other wine pairings here.