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By popular demand, I’m sharing my Dad’s salmon recipe, with the following caveat: I learned to cook from my Dad without recipes. Everything was “a bit of this” and “some more of that.” I grew up in my Dad’s restaurant and sort of took for granted how much I learned by being there. Didn’t sink in until I got to college and saw the other kids (you know, pop tarts for dinner and all).
Start with salmon of your choice, but make sure it has the skin on it.
1. Wash with water (protip: and a small touch of salt) and cut into slices about 2 inches wide
2. Prepare the marinade (I’m super lazy and these days mix in a bowl with a fork, but if you want to be a ninja about it, use a blender):
- Base: 2 parts extra virgin olive oil (don’t skimp on the quality of the EVOO), 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 part dry white wine (or water)
- Spices: start with the main mixture (do this in bulk):
- Garlic powder – about a third
- Cumin – about a third
- All else (in descending order, totaling the remaining third)
- Mustard (ground)
- Coriander
- Lemon pepper
- Dried onion
- Mustard, one to 2 teaspoons (your choice, but does not need to be fancy)
- Dill weed optional (I like a lot, but some don’t so I keep it out of the main mix)
- Additional salt for those who like it (I do)
3. Blend the hell out of it and it should become emulsified and about the consistency of the olive oil
4. Lather up the salmon, top and bottom, and let it soak skin side down for 15-30 min (but no longer, or the lemon juice will start to pickle the salmon)
5. Grill on a low heat, skin on the grill (works much better on cast iron than stainless steel bbq) to your temp choice. Serve like this (i.e., don’t flip it)
More important than my Martha Stewart moment, I’m excited for the release of tomorrow’s episode with my close friend David Sabatini (aka mTOR Man to his friends). For anyone that knows me, there’s not much more I like thinking about than rapamycin, mTOR, and longevity. I was a kid in a candy store when we recorded this last summer at MIT. I suspect David and I will do this again. And again. And again. Such discussions are not meant for one sitting.
– Peter
