My Best Grilled Salmon Recipe with Shoe String Sweet Potatoes, Crispy Kale

The Creative Cooking Crew’s May Challenge was a creative version of fish and chips. One time I did this creative take on fish and chips with flounder and another time I did this one with salmon.  Now with this new challenge, I needed to think a little more outside of the box.

I knew right away that I was going to use sweet potatoes. The crispy kale was a last minute decision, more because I needed to break up the orange color.

Does everyone know that salmon and sweet potatoes are a natural together. No matter if you mash them, bake them, fry them, slice, dice or shred, they compliment the butteriness of salmon.

The first thing to get right is the salmon You can do an indoor version (pan fried and finished in oven) or on the grill. The only thing I ever do to season a good piece of salmon is a sprinkle of hot chili oil or fire oil. In truth, the salmon we buy from Whole Foods is so good, it only needs salt and pepper.

The chips part of this was also easy. I julienned the sweet potato with this nifty tool. Making sure they were free of as much moisture as possible, I used paper towels and then deep fried. You could opt for pan fried, but I found the quick deep frying avoided burning. As far as the kale, once the potatoes were done, I did the same thing and made a crispy kale chip.

The three ingredients are simple and make the perfect bite. The entire meal can be made in under 15 minutes, yet will taste like a restaurant entree.

I am not as “creative” as other cooks in that I don’t use a lot of ingredients and spices. I am more of a minimalist in the kitchen on most days, but my creativity shines in how I can make simple food just taste not so simple. This is probably an art to itself.

The real test for how simply delicious this meal tastes is how many times I’ve made it in the past week. Three times.

Here’s what I learned. You don’t have to use salmon. It’s equally good with a corn dusted trout or tilapia. You can choose to use a spicy sauce like a mayonnaise sriracha or not. It was good both ways.

If you’re going to pan fry salmon, here’s what I do. Fry in frying pan that can go in the oven. Fry skin first,  first until you’re happy with how crispy it is, probably 3-6 minutes. Then turn it over and stick it an oven at 400 degrees for about 5-6 minutes until that skin is crispy on top. For best results,  allow the salmon to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

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Pan Fried Salmon with Shoe String Sweet Potatoes, Crispy Kale

My version of fish and chips. Crispy pan fried salmon with shoe string sweet potato fries and kale chips.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2

Author: Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound salmon
• chili oil
• 1 large sweet potato
• 5 kale leaves
• coconut oil
• salt
• pepper

Homemade Spicy Mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Instructions

• INSTRUCTIONS
• Heat oil in pan on medium high heat.
• Remove bones from salmon. I run my finger up against the bones and they pop forward. Remove with tweezer or your fingers.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, although this is not necessary if time is an issue. Douse with chili oil, fire oil, or any spice you prefer.
• Place in hot pan skin side down.Turn heat to medium. Cook 5 minutes.
• Turn over. Cook for 3 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes

• Peel and slice with julienne or spiral slicer. You can do this by hand or use this tool.
• Use enough coconut oil in heavy dutch oven or frying pan to cover one layer of potatoes.
• Fry on medium high heat, watching carefully that they don't burn. Turn frequently. Fry for about five minutes until crispy enough.
• Remove and drain on paper towels.

Kale

• Fry kale in same oil for about 30 seconds or until crisp.

Spicy Mayonnaise

• Mix together equal amounts of sriracha and mayonnaise.
• Assemble and serve with a spicy mayonnaise.

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