Crispy salmon with sesame and herbs

An impressive and easy dinner. Courtesy of The New York Times.

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• Best for: dinner, serves 4

• Difficulty: easy

• Time: 20 min-2 hours of marinating, 30 for prep and broiling

• Recommended pairings: roasted fennel, recipe below

• If you like this, try... Baked cod with chorizo and tomatoes

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This dish is perfect for dinner parties and summer nights. It reminds me of a dish my brother and I love at Japonica in Greenwich Village, my family's go-to sushi restaurant for over a decade. Great substitution possibilities abound in this dish: apple cider vinegar for rice vinegar, honey for sugar, cilantro for parsley. I paired this with one of my favorite roasted vegetables: fennel.

Fennel recipe: Cut 1 fennel bulb into 1/4 wedges. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes, or until caramelized to preference. Serve immediately or reheat before serving.

Ingredients

3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

4 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar

Kosher salt

ground black pepper

4 skin-on salmon fillets, 4 to 6 ounces each, at least 1-inch thick

2 tablespoons raw white sesame seeds

1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings, or 1/2 cup sliced red onion

3 cups cilantro, parsley or both, tender leaves and stems

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

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First...

Combine soy sauce, light brown sugar and 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar in a wide, shallow bowl (or small baking dish) and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Place salmon skin-side up in the marinade and let sit for at least 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours. The longer the better.

Then...

Place a rack in the top third of the oven and heat the broiler.

Place salmon skin-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet; discard the marinade.

Transfer to oven and broil until the salmon is cooked through and the skin is bubbling and lightly crisped, 5 to 7 minutes. Watch carefully.

MEANWHILE...

Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently until seeds are golden brown and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Then...

Toss shallot rings with remaining 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let sit for a minute or two to lightly pickle, then add the sesame seeds, herbs and sesame oil and toss to combine.

Finally...

Transfer salmon to plates and spoon any remaining marinade from the sheet pan over the fillets. Top with sesame and herb salad and serve.