We have salmon once a week, usually on what we now call “Salmon Sunday” because it’s so easy and just mouth-watering, stop-talking tender. I cook the salmon nearly the same way I cook my steak or lamb chops.

I like to buy larger portions of salmon and cut them down into 4 or 5-ounce pieces with consistent thickness. While the belly is the best part, if you leave the belly (which is only about 1/2″ thick) on a fillet that is 2″ thick, you will have an inconsistently cooked piece of fish. Save the belly fillets for a day when you want a bunch of belly fillets (which cook in no time!).

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Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

On the stove top, heat some olive oil in an oven-proof stainless steel pan. Be sure your pan is approved for high heat. Season fillets with salt, if desired, and when the pan is hot, place each fillet in the pan, leaving about an inch of space around each fillet.

Sear about 3 minutes and then add about a tablespoon of real butter before placing it in the oven. Swirl the melting butter in the pan and bake in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the size of the salmon filet. The butter is an essential step for making the skin crispy.

About two minutes before the fish is done, I remove the pan, add my favorite glaze to the salmon, and pop it back into the oven to finish.

The glaze is simply a mixture of pomegranate molasses and maple syrup in equal parts (about 2 to 3 tablespoons of each). Drizzle about a tablespoon of glaze on each fillet and return to the oven for about a minute, maybe 90 seconds. Spoon the pan drippings over the glazed fish and then drizzle a generous amount of glaze on the fillets.

To serve, I take a spatula and remove the fillet from its skin while in the pan. I place the fillet on the plate and then use the spatula to scrape off the skin and place it askew on top of the fillet.

My dad raves that when you take your fork to the fillet, each piece will gently glide off into beautiful segments of flavor bombs. It’s our favorite meal, hands down.