5 Ingredients or Fewer

Salt-Grilled Salmon Collar

by:
August 25, 2019
5
2 Ratings
Photo by Ty Mecham. Food Stylist: Amelia Rampe. Prop Stylist: Amanda Widis.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

Psst. The collar is secretly the best part of the salmon. It's succulent, spoon-tender, and has all the flavorful fats of salmon belly, making it the most underrated cut of fish out there. This simple, Japanese-inspired salt-grilled (shioyaki) recipe lets the collar meat speak for itself, with just a touch of aroma and acidity from the mirin and lemon juice to help it shine. The raw, grated daikon may seem like a random addition, but its fresh bitterness cuts through the fattiness of the salmon in the most pleasurable way. —Jun

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 salmon collar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 wedge lemon
  • 1 (1-inch) piece daikon radish, optional
Directions
  1. Using a brush, slather the salmon collar with mirin. Then, season both sides of the collar with salt, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. During this time, heat your grill or griddle pan up to temperature. You want it just below smoking-hot. (Alternatively, you can roast the salmon in the oven. If you’re going this route, preheat your oven to 450°F.)
  2. Pat dry the salmon collar with a paper towel, and place it down on the grill skin-side down. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the skin has nice bits of char to it, and the sides begin to turn a cooked orange. Then, flip it over and grill for another 1 to 2 minutes. (If you’re using an oven, place the salmon on a baking tray, skin-side up, and cook 12 minutes. Depending on the size of the collar, it might go for longer.)
  3. As the salmon is cooking, finely grate the daikon radish. Serve the salmon hot off the grill, with a slice of lemon and a mound of grated daikon on the side.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

1 Review

les C. May 19, 2024
While I have not made this recipe I do have similar one with a Mirin Soy sesame oil marinade with a home made Ponzu dipping sauce.Wild salmon collars from farmers market fish vendor are truly the best part of the fish and far less expensive than fillets, especially when grilled and served fresh corn on the cob along side.Fun to pick salmon apart with fingers too.