Back to recipe

Chef critique

Grilled Sockeye with Blackberry Glaze

The recipe features an excellent seasonal flavor profile and tracks divided ingredients perfectly. However, the instructions have logistical flaws requiring the cook to be at the indoor stove and outdoor grill simultaneously, the salmon is targeted to an overcooked temperature for a lean wild species, and the overall dish is underseasoned.

Score: 7/10

Suggested fixes

  • Lower the target internal temperature for the salmon to 120°F–125°F for a moist, medium-rare to medium finish.
  • Increase the total kosher salt to 1 3/4 teaspoons (allocate 3/4 teaspoon to the salmon, 3/4 teaspoon to the vegetables, and keep 1/4 teaspoon for the glaze).
  • Instruct the cook to complete the blackberry glaze on the stove before moving outside to grill, or specify using a grill side-burner.
  • Include a prep instruction for dicing the red onion early on, and rephrase the later step to 'Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and dice the zucchini planks.'

Issues

  • high / flavor: Wild sockeye salmon is extremely lean. While 145°F is the FDA safety guideline, culinarily it will result in dry, chalky, and overcooked fish. A target of 120°F–125°F is much better for quality.
  • medium / flavor: The salt amounts fall below standard ratios by weight. 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt for 12 ounces of salmon and 1/2 teaspoon for roughly 15 ounces of vegetables risks leaving both main components underseasoned.
  • medium / cookability: Steps 1 and 2 instruct the cook to prepare the grill outside while simmering the glaze on the stove inside, creating a frustrating back-and-forth workflow.
  • low / clarity: In Step 6, 'grilled vegetables’ cobs' is awkwardly phrased since only the corn has a cob. Furthermore, the red onion is used in this step without being diced in an initial prep step.

Strengths

  • Flawless tracking of ingredient quantities, including divided amounts of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
  • Appealing and cohesive flavor pairings utilizing seasonal produce and an elegant blackberry glaze.
  • Proper grilling technique for skin-on salmon, cooking predominantly on the skin side to protect the flesh.