Seared Salmon with Roasted Broccoli

This post is a bit of a cheat because it's really a combination of two posts that already exist on my blog: How To Cook Perfect Fish At Home and The Best Broccoli of Your Life. The only innovation is that I served these two things together on the same plate and instead of using cod, like I did in that Perfect Fish post, I used really good salmon (Scottish salmon, if you must know) and did away with the Parmesan on the broccoli because I don't like cheese and fish together. Oh and one more thing...

...I served everything with a lemon wedge.

Once again, I heated vegetable oil in a small pan until very hot and added the fish skin side down.

Only this time, I was able to flip it over with my nifty new fish spatula, which glides underneath the fish oh so easily.

Remember: if the spatula doesn't go easily under your fish skin, don't force it. That means the skin isn't ready to detach yet which means it isn't cooked all the way. Be patient and you'll be rewarded with scrumptious, crispy fish.

The other main strategy is to not overcook your fish. In my Perfect Fish post, I echo Kenji's advice to take the fish's temperature with an instant read thermometer; if you don't have one, you can either cut into the fish to see if it's done or follow Eric Ripert's advice, insert a skewer into the center of the fish and hold it to your lip. If it's body temp and doesn't feel too cold or too hot, you're all set.

Serve with a lemon wedge and a crisp white wine and you have a healthy but incredibly tasty weeknight dinner that shows off your technique (searing fish, roasting broccoli) in a way that makes sense for the home cook. No sous vide machine necessary.