Chef critique
King Salmon with Apple–Dijon Sauce
An elegantly composed and well-timed recipe with great technique for crisp-skinned salmon, though the potatoes should be boiled in salted water rather than seasoned only during the mash.
Score: 9/10
Suggested fixes
- In step 3, instruct the cook to salt the potato water to 2% salinity (approximately 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt per quart of water).
- In step 5, remove the 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt from the bulleted mash additions (or reduce to 'salt to taste').
- Update the total Diamond Crystal kosher salt in the ingredient list to reflect the increased amount needed for the boiling water.
Issues
- medium / flavor: The potatoes are boiled in unsalted water, with all their allocated salt added during the mashing step. Root vegetables should be boiled in water salted to 2% salinity so they absorb seasoning internally, rather than relying on surface salt added later.
Strengths
- Excellent timing and task parallelization, making efficient use of the 45-minute window.
- Spot-on target pull temperature for the salmon (125°F) for an ideal medium-rare center.
- Perfect mathematical adherence to the 1.25% meat and 1% vegetable salt-by-weight ratios for the salmon and Brussels sprouts.
- Great technique utilizing the refrigerator to dry out the salmon skin before searing, combined with a smart reminder to blot moisture before hitting the pan.