Crispy Salmon Bellies #FishFridayFoodies

 

It's time for Fish Friday Foodies' September 2021 event. We are a group of seafood-loving bloggers, rallied by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, to share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month. 

This month, Wendy is leading the discussion on oven roasted fish and seafood. "The weather is starting to cool, let's share some recipes using the oven to roast our fish and seafood," she wrote. Here's the line-up for the event...

• Sneha’s Recipe: Air Fryer Whole Mackerel Fish Roast 
• Food Lust People Love: Baked Shrimp Stuffed Sole Fillets
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Crispy Salmon Bellies
• Palatable Pastime: Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Coriander and Cumin 
• Goats and Greens: Roasted Almond-Breaded Tapenade-Stuffed Trout with Mushroom Sauce. 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Roasted Chilean Sea Bass One Skillet Dinner 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories : Slow Roasted Salmon with Garlic Butter and Herbs

Crispy Salmon Bellies

As part of our CSF (Community-Supported Fishery) we often get the opportunity to purchase extra seafood. Whenever I see salmon bellies I swoop in and order a few packages. And I ended up making this recipe twice because it was so easy and it was such a hit! The first package of bellies came from Fort Bragg - a little way up the California coast from where we live.

Salmon bellies are not the prettiest cut, but they are my favorite. They have skin and fins that crisp up beautifully and they have meat with unctuous pockets of salmon fat that burst in your mouth for a surprising, yet umami-filled delight! And this process is so easy, I almost loathe to call it a recipe.

Ingredients serves 4

• 1 pound salmon bellies
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 Tablespoon seasoning (I used Old Bay)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Also needed: wire rack that nestles into a baking sheet; baking sheet; spray oil (I used olive oil); fresh lemon wedges for serving

Procedure

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Nestle wire rack into the baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, seasoning, salt, and pepper. Coat the bellies with the flour mixture and place them on your wire racks. Spray lightly with oil and place them in the preheated oven.

Roast for 8 to 10 minutes until the skin is crisped and brown. The flesh will be just on the edge of turning opaque. If the bellies are particularly chunky, it might take as long as 12 minutes. Just keep an eye on them so they don't get too charred on the thin areas.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot with fresh lemon wedges.

That's a wrap for our #FishFridayFoodies oven roasted seafood event. We'll be back next month for a 'Salmon Chanted Evening.' Can't wait to even more salmon recipes! Stay tuned.