Sockeye Salmon with Hatch Chile Corn

Sockeye Salmon with Hatch Chile Corn
🌶️ 🐟 🌽

Fresh corn and Hatch chiles are two of the best flavors of late summer, and they pair beautifully with wild sockeye salmon. Here, the corn is sautéed in butter with roasted chiles, tomatoes, garlic, and lime, then served alongside pan-seared salmon with divinely crispy skin.

If you’re not familiar with Hatch chiles, they’re grown in New Mexico’s Hatch Valley and are prized for their earthy, slightly sweet flavor and wonderful smoky character when roasted. Depending on the variety, they can range from mild and mellow to quite hot. I roast mine over the flame on my backyard grill until the skins are blackened and blistered; see my Hatch Chile Tuna Melt for the roasting method.

Sockeye Salmon with Hatch Chile Corn Recipe

Ingredients

Salmon
1 (6 oz.) sockeye salmon filet, skin on
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 t. avocado oil

Hatch Chile Corn
1 ear fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob
1 T. unsalted butter
1 roasted Hatch chile, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 campari tomatoes, quartered
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 t. fresh lime juice
Cilantro leaves
Lime wedges, for serving

Method

Pat the salmon very dry with paper towels. Season both sides with sea salt and black pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes while preparing the vegetables.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender but still crisp.

Add the Hatch chile and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, just until they begin to soften while still holding their shape.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion and lime juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Heat the oil in another skillet over medium-high heat. Place the salmon skin-side down in the skillet.

Cook mostly on the skin side, about 5 to 6 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the salmon is nearly cooked through.

Flip and cook for another 30 to 60 seconds, depending on the thickness of the filet and your preferred doneness.

Spoon the Hatch chile corn onto a warm plate. Place the salmon over the corn, keeping the crisp skin exposed. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with lime wedges.

Green Chile Note

Use your favorite roasted fresh green chile here—poblano, Anaheim, Hatch, or another variety available in your area. Choose mild, medium, or hot according to taste.