Easy Spiced Salmon #1

This is a recipe that I will use when I just need to throw something together without spending a lot of time in the kitchen, which is becoming more and more.

The best way is to grill the salmon steak on the grill or parilla. But if you don't want to fire that up, use a grill pan or grill plate. Everyone show own one of those for quick and fast preparation of steak and fish. Whats a grill pan?
It a cast iron pan usually about 12 inches in diameter and instead of being perfectly smooth on the bottom, it has raised lines on it, so that when you have it hot and place meat or fish on it, the grill marks appear from the lines , it cooks the meat without touching all of it, using radiant hear AND it provide great grill mark caramelization for super flavor.

Take about 4 TBS of Achiote paste into a small bowl, to that add the juice of a lemon. About 1/4 of juice or just enough to be able to mix the paste into a free flowing sauce like consistency.You can add a little olive oil also. Make the sauce liquid enough to cover the fish not like a paste though.
Take the Salmon steaks and coat withe mix.
Let sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour.

Lesson.
Before you cook meat, or even seafood, let it come up to room temperature from the refrigerator so that when you place it on the grill, it doesn't have to unthaw or have a large temperature difference between the outside and inside. This will provide better cooking control for you, so that you have medium rare steaks that are hot all the way, instead of done correctly on the outside but cold on the inside. With fish it allows even cooking so that the fish is not overcooked on the outside but undercooked inside. Overcooked fish, BAD......perfectly cooked GOOD!
This also pertains to Chicken also.

Then take the Salmon and place it on the grill or grill pan, cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, carefully run a metal spatula to release the fish from the metal and carefully turn, finish cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes until touching the fish with your finger offers some resistance......(learn how to tell doneness by feel)
If you don't have a grill you can place it in to a hot preheated oven. Preheat to 375, place on either foil or grill rack. You will need to cook it for about 12-15 minutes if convection, a few more if not. If you would like to use an instant read thermometer, pull the fish at 140.


Stuff you will need:

Achiote Paste
juice from lemon
salt and pepper
Salmon Steaks