Jalapeño, Ginger and Mint Pesto with Baked Salmon

American home cooks do not prepare a lot of fish, except on the grill. The one exception to this rule is salmon, putting aside shellfish such as shrimp. The Japanese have a great technique for salting salmon before cooking it. Just take 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of coarse salt, rub it over the filets and let them sit in the fridge for up to an hour. This will firm up the salmon and also get rid of the white stuff (albumin) which oozes out during cooking.

This particular recipe, however, was inspired by one of my favorite restaurants, Gjelina, in Venice, CA. Travis Lett is the chef and he is one of the most interesting cooks around. (I highly recommend the Gjelina cookbook.) The notion is that adding a simple sauce or pesto after cooking is the best way to add flavor, as opposed to marinating which never, ever flavors meat or fish and does very little for tenderizing either. Dry brining, however, firms up the fish and makes it less fishy.

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I love mint in this pesto but you can switch it out for cilantro. The honey is optional—I like the fact that it mellows the flavor but others may prefer a sharper tasting pesto, so just leave it out. Baking the salmon is the simplest and most even method of cooking and, since we are serving it with a bold pesto, the salmon itself can be understated in terms of flavor. The cooking time is only approximate since the thickness of your salmon and the accuracy of your oven can make a huge difference.

I love the Japanese technique of dry brining salmon. Mix 3 tablespoons light brown sugar with 2 tablespoons Kosher salt and rub it all over the salmon and let sit in the fridge for up to an hour.