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–+ servings

Ponzu Salmon (Pan Fried)

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 4 tbsp ponzu sauce store-bought or homemade
  • 1 tbsp sake or dry sherry/wine/water
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 2-3 salmon fillets skin-on, about 2-3 cm thick
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) or cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp butter or neutral oil
  • 30 g bell pepper sliced
  • 50 g maitake mushrooms or mushroom of your choice, sliced
  • 50 g baby leaf salad
  • 300 g cooked multigrain rice 150g per portion, or steamed short-grain rice
  • 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds optional

Instructions 

  • Mix 4 tbsp ponzu sauce, 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tbsp sake in a bowl and set by the stove for later.
    Ponzu sauce in a small glass bowl for ponzu salmon
  • Pat 2-3 salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper and sprinkle both sides with 1 pinch salt.
    3 salmon fillets on kitchen paper
  • Sprinkle both sides of the salmon with 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko), pat to remove excess or use a pastry brush to spread a thin even layer.
    3 salmon fillets coated in potato starch
  • Heat a pan on medium and melt 1 tbsp butter. Swirl to coat the pan with a thin layer of butter, then place the salmon fillets skin-side down and fry for 4 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden.
    3 salmon fillets frying in a pan skin side down
  • Flip and fry on the other side for 2 minutes or until just cooked through. (Extra thick salmon fillets might need up to 2-3 minutes more.) Remove the salmon from the pan and set aside for now.
    3 salmon fillets frying in a pan with skin side up
  • Using the same pan, add 30 g bell pepper and 50 g maitake mushrooms. Add a little more butter if needed, and sauté until the vegetables are slightly softened.
    Bell peppers and maitake mushrooms in a frying pan
  • Push the peppers and mushrooms to one side of the pan and place the salmon skin side up in the empty space. Avoiding the top of the salmon, pour the ponzu sauce around the pan. Once the sauce becomes glossy and slightly thickened, baste the top of the salmon. When the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove the pan from the heat.
    Salmon, bell peppers and maitake mushrooms in a frying pan
  • Divide 300 g cooked multigrain rice into equal portions and arrange 50 g baby leaf salad on the plate. Place the sautéed vegetables and salmon either on top or to the side.
    Mixed grain rice topped with sautéed bell peppers and maitake mushrooms
  • Drizzle any sauce leftover in the pan over the salmon and sprinkle with 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds for a finishing touch. Serve immediately and enjoy!
    Ponzu glazed salmon served over mixed grain rice, baby leaf, red bell peppers and maitake mushrooms

Notes

Match the pan to your confidence. Nonstick is the lowest-risk for clean release, stainless/cast iron need a full preheat so the fish sears, and you should see a steady sizzle-not hard smoke.
For truly crispy skin, press the fillet down for the first 10 seconds and don't "test-flip" early-wait until it releases on its own.
Pour the ponzu sauce around the edges of the pan, never directly onto the fish.
Don't move the salmon for a full 4 minutes on the skin side.
Stop reducing the sauce the moment it coats the back of a spoon and big, lazy bubbles appear.