Crispy-Skinned Salmon with Spicy Radishes and Green Romesco by Alison Roman

There are two noteworthy X-factors in this recipe that make it stand out from other salmon. And since cooking this recipe a few weeks ago, I can’t seem to get these X-factors out of my head. Jordan is having the same issue. I know this because he’s asked me no less than three times if I can make it again. And when recently asked about his favorite meal from the project, he mentioned this salmon, and his reasons were these two X-factors: 

• Green Romesco

  • What is romesco? A quick trip down Wikipedia Lane tells me: “Romesco is a tomato-based sauce that originated from Valls, Tarragona, Catalonia. The fishermen in this area made this sauce to be eaten with fish. It is typically made from any mixture of roasted tomatoes and garlic, toasted almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, olive or sunflower oil, and nyora peppers.”

  • What is Alison’s Green Romesco? Rather than roasted tomatoes, this sauce, made in a food processor, consists of parsley, olive oil, toasted almonds, garlic, jalapeno, red wine vinegar, and smoked paprika. It still maintains the nuttiness and pepperiness of a regular romesco, but boasts more herbal and spicy notes. Leftovers of this romesco make wonderful sandwich additions and salad dressing. 

• Crispy Skin

  • Just a tablespoon of vegetable oil, some salt, and pepper is all it takes to make an irresistibly crispy filet of salmon. I seared each piece of fish, skin side down, for roughly 6 minutes before flipping it over to briefly warm through on the other side. 

  • Warning: Someone please call the Splatter Patrol! Who knew only a tablespoon of oil could make such a mess! I had oily splatters across my entire kitchen floor, I kid you not. If you have one of those splatter guards, now would be the time to use it. If you, like me, don’t own a splatter guard because you don’t like the idea of cleaning one, then prepare thyself. 

  • If you thought you didn’t like to eat the skin on salmon, think again. Crispy skin rules!

The final element to this dish consists of spicy, marinated radishes with vinegar, shallot, and red pepper flakes. They added a nice, bright crunch to everything, and while I enjoyed them, I still would have loved the dish equally as much without them. 

Given that this crispy-skinned salmon is the fourth and final salmon recipe from Alison Roman on this blog, I find it necessary to provide you with a power ranking. You may be wondering what sort of criteria were considered to determine the power rankings. Well, reader, mostly my taste buds. Which salmon did I enjoy eating the most. They are all on the more low maintenance side of cooking – fish doesn’t take long as a general matter. So it comes down to which did I enjoy most. And for me, the answer is pretty clear… 

ALISON ROMAN SALMON POWER RANKINGS

1. Crispy-Skinned Salmon with Spicy Radishes and Green Romesco

2. Slow Salmon with Citrus and Herbs

3. Buttered Salmon with Red Onion and Dill

4. Salmon with Soy and Citrusy Charred Scallions

126 recipes cooked, 99 to go.

Roasted Radishes with Green Goddess Butter by Alison Roman

One of the very first recipes I ever made for this project was Alison’s Butter-Tossed Radishes with Fresh Za’atar, and it blew my mind. I’d never eaten a whole radish before, much less found myself craving one. I even learned about Za’atar. I’ll always think fondly of those radishes, because they signified a new and exciting chapter in my quarantine life. One where I invested in my creative interests and believed in my own growth and flourishing. 

When I saw this roasted radish recipe, I couldn’t help but reflect on how this all began and what this project means to me. We’re about at the halfway point, both with the recipe count and the calendar. I have until January 27 to complete the 225th recipe. So far, I’ve had the most wonderful time. At the beginning, I made the conscious choice to let this be about having fun, about enjoying food and savoring writing. I decided that I wouldn’t let any to-do-list-checking or feelings of self-consciousness get in the way. I’ve grown immensely in my knowledge of food and my confidence in cooking. At the start, I questioned the notion of serving a plateful of radishes. Now, I see a plateful of radishes and my mouth starts to water. In addition to my confidence in cooking, my taste buds have grown too… I know you came here for the radishes, so thanks for letting me do a bit of reflection. We can turn to that irresistible Green Goddess Butter now…  

If you’ve ever had Green Goddess salad dressing, this is its fabulously spreadable cousin in butter form. And it’s so easy to make. Alison gives the option to mash all of the ingredients together with a fork. But after just a few moments of smashing, I decided to opt for my food processor, which was much more equipped to handle the ingredients. Speaking of which, this butter consists of fresh herbs – chives, parsley, and tarragon, garlic, anchovies, and white wine vinegar. The recipe creates about twice as much as needed. Which is why I chose to follow Alison’s advice and pair this with her Grilled Trout with Green Goddess Butter. 

The radishes are oven-roasted until tender, and the leaves are crisp. This was my second time purchasing and cooking with a bunch of radishes (as opposed to pre-cleaned and trimmed ones). As a heads up, both bunches required extensive cleaning. I could feel the grains of dirt covering the leaves, and it took some work to clean each one thoroughly. Once the radishes were roasted, I plated them on top of the butter, and sprinkled them with lemon juice and salt. They were a tasty (and aesthetically pleasing) side for the fish!

111 recipes cooked, 114 to go.

Butter-Tossed Radishes with Fresh Za'atar by Alison Roman

This was one of those recipes that I could easily flip past. Why? A) I never considered myself a radish person, and B) what is Za’atar? What caught my attention on Page 58 of Dining In was a note from Alison that reads, 

“I don’t have anything else important to say about this dish, only that it is probably my favorite one in the whole book.” 

Alright, I’m intrigued. The ingredients are simple. Mainly radishes, garlic, oil, butter, vinegar, and Za’atar. I’d never heard of za’atar, but it was clear from my first peruse through Alison’s work that she absolutely loves it. It’s a Middle Eastern spice blend that’s everywhere in her recipes. At the beginning of each cookbook is a pantry list of her essential kitchen items and ingredients that she always has in stock, and za’atar made it on the list. 

Side note: I love when chefs do this because it teaches me about what they think is essential to everyday cooking success, and what isn’t. 

Alison’s za’atar description lets you know that you can buy a za’atar spice blend at the grocery store, but of course it’s even better when you make your own fresh version. The only ingredients are toasted sesame seeds, thyme, sumac, and salt. The most exciting part of her ode to this spice is her description of the salt and sumac combination: “a sort of salty/sour dream team.” I am SO there. 

On my weekly Trader Joes run, I noticed they carry a za’atar spice blend. I was tempted to buy that instead, but sumac was missing from the ingredients list. If Alison is telling me that the best za’atar is made of only four ingredients, and one of those isn’t in this spice blend, then I guess I’m out. Thyme, sesame seeds and salt I have, but sumac? I went to Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Cub, and couldn’t find it. My mother-in-law heard about my sumac woes and called a number of middle eastern grocery stores in the Minneapolis-St.Paul area. One of them carried it - Holy Land on Central Ave. For $4 I purchased enough sumac to hopefully last me the entire cookbook, and then some. (In case you’re also wondering, sumac is a dark red colored spice made from dried and ground berries that grow on sumac flowers. It’s known for its acidic, sour quality. Some blogs say you can substitute it with lemon zest.) 

The assembly of this dish takes no time at all. It just calls for sauteing the radishes and garlic in oil until the outsides of the radishes are nice and tender (the insides stay harder and retain some of their notorious kick). Once they’re tender, swirl in the butter until melted, pour in a dash of white vinegar and top with the za’atar and more salt. Because I’m a sucker for an extra crunch, I threw in some toasted thinly sliced almonds as well. 

The buttery, salty, sour flavors pair really well with the softened radishes and make for a stellar side dish. Beyond the flavors, the color of the dish is appealing too, and the ingredients are unexpected, making this a crowd pleaser. Have you ever been served a bowl of radishes at a dinner party before? You will if you come over to my apartment for dinner, because this quick-to-make, unexpected and simple side dish is now in my regular rotation for hosting. It should be in yours, too.

2 recipes cooked, 223 recipes to go.

Butter-Tossed Radishes with Fresh Za’atar and One-Pot Chicken with Lemon, Shallots and Dates by Alison Roman.