A decade and a half or so ago, when air fryers were still too pricey for home kitchens, we used a “turbo broiler”. It’s like a tabletop oven — glass body with the heat mechanism underneath the lid. It’s an air fryer, really, but clunky and much heavier.
That was the appliance in where this salmon steak was cooked back in 2010. Yes, old recipe that I’m resurrecting because this is a dish that you can easily make in an air fryer.
So, how do we cook this dish? It’s pretty simple, really. First, you make a spice paste. Grind lemongrass, ginger, garlic, basil leaves and salt.
If you’re feeling rustic, use a mortar and pestle. What you see in the photos is our old mortar and pestle. Marble. Smooth. It was 2010 like I said and I hadn’t discovered yet the wonders of using an unpolished granite mortar and pestle.
If you prefer a quicker and less laborious way, you may use a mini food processor. That would be more efficient if you need enough paste to season four salmon steaks or more.
The paste is spread on both sides of the salmon steak. How thick should the fish be? There really is no rule. I prefer the steak to be three-quarters inch up to an inch and a half. Yes, on the thick side. Broiling or air frying fish at a high temperature can result in dry flesh if the steak is too thin. If you’re thinking that the cooking time can be shortened for thinner fish steaks, well, you wouldn’t be wrong. BUT that also means less time for the fish to soak up the flavors of the spices in the paste.
Ingredients
- 1 salmon steak
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 12 basil leaves I recommend holy basil or lemon basil
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 2 to 3 slices ginger
- 2 to 3 pinches salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Grind together the lemongrass, ginger, garlic, basil leaves and salt until the mixture is a coarse paste.
- Stir in olive oil to loosen.
- Spread the mixture on both sides of the salmon.
- Broil / air fry at 375F for about 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).
- Enjoy with rice or salad.
