Start with good salmon. Don't ever plan on serving fish without a Plan B.

You never know what is going to be available. If it doesn't look good don't buy it. Salmon holds up to storage better than most fish, but make sure it looks fresh. If it is old, it doesn't matter how you cook it, it is going to suck and your guests will probably curb-stomp you.

First some Science. The Maillard (pronounced Mail-ard) reaction is what causes browning. It only occurs at temps above 300F. If the surface of the fish exceeds this it will brown. The problem is that if the middle of the fish gets above 135F it is well-done and ready to kick into the woods. If the surface of the fish is wet, when you toss it in the pan, the water starts to heat and turns into steam. However, it cannot exceed the boiling point of water (212F) until all the surface water has been turned to steam. While the water steams off, the fish will be cooking and not browning .By the water has steamed off and the surface temp reaches the browning range, the inside of the salmon may already be overcooked. The key is to remove water from the surface of the salmon before cooking it; This allows the surface temp to rapidly rise into the range where browning can occur.

Basic concept is to get a good brown crust on the presentation side, flip, cook briefly, turn off heat and then let it "coast." The last part allows the fish to continue to cook and the center to warm. Because the temp is slowly increasing the chance of over-cooking is reduced

Step-By-Step

1. Cut the salmon into single portions. Dry the fish with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. If you are using pre-ground pepper, find a tall building and jump.

2. Use a non-stick Pan or cast iron with an oil with a high smoke point ie not butter or olive oil. My favorite is clarified butter (Ghee). You only need about 2 tsp

3. Heat the pan to he heat approaching its smoking point. I use an inexpensive infra-red thermometer.

4. Add fish, Skin side up. Let it cook until it has a good brown crust, then flip. This will take about 2 1/2 min. You may have to turn the heat down if the pan is getting too hot. Don't flip before you get the crust, and don't crowd the fillets.

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7. Turn the fish over and cook for about 30 seconds then Cut the heat and "Let er coast." If using electric burner move the pan to a cool burner. Below, the temp of the fillet using an instant read thermometer was 79F.

5min 55.5 sec later on a stopwatch

The internal temp has risen to 118F Perfect!!! Medium rare center. (Applause, standing ovation, fist bumps, A true Miracle - somebody call the Pope)

Served with rice and stir fried vegetables

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