GOCHUJANG SALMON RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler; position an oven rack 4 to 5 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and grease the foil.
• Put the salmon on the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush with vegetable oil, and season with salt and pepper. Broil for about 2 minutes. (If using thinner tail pieces--which cook faster--skip this initial broiling.)
• For the gochujang glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the gochujang, mirin, sesame seeds, sugar, scallions and sesame oil.
• Brush the salmon with 6 tablespoons of the glaze, then broil until cooked to the desired doneness, about another 5 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a platter, and top with scallions, sesame seeds and chile threads. Serve with rice.

Steps:

• Season the salmon on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sear the salmon fillets skin side down until the skin is browned and crispy, 2 to 5 minutes. The salmon’s orange flesh will begin to turn pale coral as the heat slowly creeps up the sides of the fish; you want that coral color to come up about two-thirds of the way at this point for a nice medium-rare. Carefully flip the salmon and cook the second side until the flesh feels firm, another 1 to 2 minutes. When you press it, it should not feel wobbly. Transfer the salmon to a plate skin side down and keep the pan with the rendered fat over the heat.
• Add the rice to the fat in the pan and spread in an even layer, packing it down as if making a rice pancake. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the bottom is lightly browned and toasted, about 5 minutes. You should hear it crackle. Flip the rice like a pancake, using a spatula if needed. You may not be able to flip it all in one piece, but that’s OK. Cook until lightly toasted on the second side, another 1 to 2 minutes. Go longer if you want crispier rice, but the trifecta of crispy-chewy-soft tastes wonderful.
• While the rice is cooking, stir together the gochugaru, maple syrup, rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. When the rice is done, divide it evenly among the plates. In the now empty pan, add the gochugaru mixture and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until it bubbles up and reduces significantly, 15 seconds to 1 minute. It should look pretty sticky. Turn off the heat and add the cold butter, stirring with a wooden spoon or tongs until fully melted and incorporated into the gochugaru mixture. Pour this glaze over the salmon and serve with cucumbers or pickles if you’d like.