Sautéing is an ideal way to cook lighter foods, including fish.

This cooking technique requires applying high heat to a slope-sided sauté pan and using a small amount of oil or butter. This method seals in natural juices and produces an evenly cooked piece of fish that is moist and tender on the inside, and caramelized on the outside. Additional ingredients such as garlic, onions, vegetables, wine and lemon juice are often added to enhance the flavors.

How to Sauté Verlasso Salmon

  1. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.

  2. Heat a large sauté pan to medium-high heat. Add enough oil or butter to just cover the bottom of the pan, to a depth of about 1/8”. If skin-on, place salmon in the pan skin-side up. If cooking multiple fillets, make sure not to crowd them together – they will not cook evenly.

  3. Sauté the fillets 3-4 minutes or until browned. Carefully, turn the fish over and sauté another 3-4 minutes, or until done.

  4. Remove the fillets from the pan. Loosely cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Featured Recipe

Sautéed Verlasso Salmon with Poached Egg & Applewood Smoked Bacon on Sourdough

This dish is a delicious way to incorporate sautéed salmon into breakfast, lunch or dinner. Look for a crusty loaf of sourdough, sliced 1-inch thick, to provide a base for this recipe.

Serves 6

• 12 slices of applewood smoked bacon

• 2 teaspoons vinegar

• 6 large eggs*

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 6 six-eight ounce Verlasso salmon fillets with skin

• Kosher salt to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 cups arugula, cleaned and dry

• 1/4 cup lemon olive oil plus enough to drizzle over to serve (found at specialty grocery stores or use extra-virgin olive oil)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• 6 slices of sourdough bread, 1-inch thick, lightly oiled and broiled until golden brown

  1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.

  2. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lay the bacon slices on the sheet.

  3. Place the bacon in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until crisp. Remove from the cookie sheet and blot with a paper towel.**

  4. In a wide 3-quart heavy saucepan (about 10 inches wide), combine enough water to just cover the egg (about 2 quarts) and add the vinegar. Bring to a simmer.

  5. Break 1 egg into a small bowl or cup and slide it into the simmering water. Repeat with each remaining egg, spacing them evenly in the saucepan, and poach at a bare simmer until the whites are firm and the yolks are still runny, 2-3 minutes. When cooked, transfer the eggs to paper towels with a slotted spoon.

  6. Pat the salmon dry between paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over moderately high heat until hot, but not smoking and sauté the salmon, skin side down for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook the salmon 4 minutes more. Turn the salmon and sauté over moderately high heat about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until just cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Slice each fillet gently with a serrated knife.

  7. In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with the lemon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

  8. To serve, place the toasts on individual plates. Layer with the arugula, two bacon slices, slices of salmon and one poached egg. Drizzle with the lemon olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper.

Sustainability Tips:

*Save egg shells – they are great for the garden or flowerbeds because they are high in calcium. Dry them thoroughly, crush with your hands and sprinkle around vegetables, fruits and flowers.

**Pour bacon grease into an airtight glass container or the cooled drippings into an ice cube tray and freeze. Each cube will yield about one heaping tablespoon. Pouring bacon grease down the drain is bad for pipes and the environment.