Chef critique
King Salmon with Blistered Sungolds
An exceptionally well-calculated recipe with perfect seasoning ratios and precise temperatures, though the salmon requires a touch of oil to prevent it from sticking to the preheated pan.
Score: 9/10
Suggested fixes
- Increase the total extra-virgin olive oil in the ingredient list to 4 1/2 tablespoons.
- In Step 6, instruct the cook to rub the salmon or the empty side of the pan with 1/2 tablespoon of oil before placing the fish down to prevent sticking.
- Adjust the wording in Step 6 from 'turn the potatoes and make room for the presalted salmon' to simply 'turn the potatoes and place the salmon on the empty side of the pan.'
Issues
- medium / cookability: Placing the salmon on a dry, bare section of a sheet pan that has been preheating at 450°F for 22 minutes will cause the flesh or skin to severely stick. The recipe provides exactly enough oil for the vegetables and dressing, leaving none to lubricate the fish or the pan.
- low / clarity: Step 6 instructs the cook to 'make room for the presalted salmon,' but Step 3 already had the cook arrange the potatoes 'on one side of a large rimmed sheet pan,' meaning the other half is already empty.
Strengths
- Perfectly calculates 1.25% salinity for the salmon and 1% for the vegetables, correctly stating the amounts by volume for Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- Adheres exactly to the Careme temperature guidance with a concise pull temperature of 125°F for the salmon and a 5-minute rest.
- Excellent timeline management and formatting, properly utilizing bulleted lists with blank lines to handle multi-ingredient mixtures.
- Ingredient totals and partial quantities utilized in the steps match perfectly.