Every Way to Cook Salmon (43 Methods) _ Bon Appétit

**The Great Salmon Experiment**

We started our salmon experiment with high hopes and a sense of adventure. We had been burning the midnight oil, literally, as we waited for our foil-wrapped salmon fillet to cook in the hot sun. The idea was to bury the fish in some dirt and dig it up again in a few hours, hoping that the heat would magically cook it. But as it turned out, this method wasn't exactly the most effective way to cook salmon.

As we dug our foil-wrapped salmon out of the ground, we were greeted by an unappetizing sight - a raw fish with a clammy texture. It was clear that the sun's heat hadn't done much to cook the fish, and it would have been better off in the oven all along. We decided to abandon this method and move on to our next experiment: the mailbox salmon.

We placed our foil-wrapped salmon into an envelope, sealed it up, and popped it into our mailbox. We waited anxiously for a few hours, hoping that the hot sun would work its magic. But when we retrieved the salmon, we were disappointed to find that it was still raw - not even warm to the touch. It seemed that this method wasn't going to cut it either.

Undeterred, we decided to try again with a new approach. We placed our salmon fillet in the oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for about 16-18 minutes. And what did we get? A beautifully cooked piece of salmon that flaked like silk between our teeth. This method was a clear winner, and we were impressed by how easy it was to cook.

But we didn't stop there. We decided to try another method, one that would give us even more control over the cooking process. We increased the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and decreased the cooking time to just 5-6 minutes. The result was a piece of salmon with unevenly cooked flesh - not bad, but not as silky as our first attempt.

Next up, we tried another method that would add some extra flair to our dish: broiling. We placed our salted and oiled salmon skin side up under the broiler, hoping for a crispy crust. But what did we get? A piece of salmon with tough, rather than crispy, skin - not exactly the desired result.

Finally, we decided to try one last method: steaming. We wrapped our fillet in parchment paper and placed it in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about seven minutes. The result was a beautifully cooked piece of salmon that looked almost too good to be true. But when we broke through the crust, we were disappointed to find that the inside was slightly overcooked.

Last but not least, we tried one final method: salt crusting. We coated our salmon in a mixture of whipped egg white and kosher salt and baked it at 450 degrees Fahrenheit until the crust hardened and the inside cooked. The result was a nicely cooked piece of salmon with a salty, dry texture - not bad, but not exactly what we were hoping for.

**Lessons Learned**

One thing that became clear throughout our experiment was that when working with high-quality fish like salmon, it's best to keep things simple. Most of our favorite ways to cook salmon were straightforward and didn't require too much fuss or effort. We also learned that different cooking methods can produce different results, and not all of them are created equal. While some methods may add flair or excitement to a dish, others - like the mailbox salmon method - just don't cut it.

In the end, we came away with a clear appreciation for the versatility of salmon and a new set of techniques for cooking this delicious fish. Whether you prefer your salmon cooked low and slow, high and fast, or somewhere in between, there's sure to be a method out there that suits your taste. So don't be afraid to experiment and try new things - you never know what culinary gems you might discover!