This is the kind of winter cooking I come back to again and again: simple ingredients, confident technique, and flavours that feel both nourishing and indulgent. Crispy-skinned salmon brings richness and texture, while creamed Savoy cabbage offers softness, sweetness, and just enough luxury to make the plate feel complete.
Savoy Cabbage Cooked Gently with Garlic Cream and Bacon
Savoy cabbage is key here. Its crinkled leaves are more tender than standard green cabbage and far more elegant once cooked. I love it’s nooks and crannies, it truly is a beautiful vegetable, with an almost lacy texture. When blanched then gently sautéed and finished with garlic, bacon ‘lardons’ and cream, it becomes silky rather than heavy—supportive of the salmon, not competing with it.
I recommend double-smoked, thick-cut bacon if you can get it. The layer of smoke against the cream is heavenly. This walks that fine line between comfort food and clean eating, which is exactly where good winter cooking lives.
A Simple Technique-Driven Salmon Dinner
Salmon “a l’Unilaterale” or “cooked on one side only”. The heat from the bottom of the pan creates a crisp crust that will steam through the fish. This allows you to create a delicious golden crispy skin with a slightly flaky layer and a soft, almost rare fish meat on top. Cooking salmon on one side is not just fashionable but – it keeps the salmon moist and juicy as this cooking process prevents it from drying out and retains all that salmon flavour.
This is for those of us who want our salmon, pink and tender, with all those omega oils in tact and a crispy, delicious skin to enjoy.
Chef’s Notes:
- Use fresh salmon, not frozen for this recipe.
- Ideal for Atlantic salmon, with it’s high-fat content. Here I used a Pacific Coho, also a fatty fish with dense, packed flesh.
- To ensure a delicious, crispy skin, make sure the fish is at room temperature and patted dry before placing it in the pan.
- And most importantly, use your most “trusty” sauté pan, or skillet for impeccable results.
Elegant Comfort Food with Crisp Skin and Soft Greens
The salmon is all about restraint. A hot pan, dry skin, and patience. No elaborate marinades, no distractions. Just a solid butter-baste. When cooked properly, the skin becomes crisp, protecting the flesh and keeping it beautifully moist. Paired with the cabbage, this dish feels restaurant-worthy but entirely achievable on a weeknight. Particularly if you blanch your cabbage in advance.
Serve it as is, or with boiled baby potatoes or crusty bread to catch the cream. Either way, it is quietly luxurious, deeply satisfying, and very much a cold-weather staple in my kitchen. Enjoy!
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Crispy Skinned Salmon & Creamed Savoy Cabbage
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
Description
Among my favourite cold-weather comfort-meets-elegance meals. Crispy skinned salmon served over creamed Savoy cabbage. A simple winter dinner that balances rich salmon with tender, creamy greens.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets, skin on (about 6 ounces each)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium head Savoy cabbage, core removed
- 6 rashers of thick-cut, double smoked bacon, cut into "Lardons"
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 cups cooking cream or half and half (15 - 18% milk fat)
- 1/4 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Starting with the cabbage. Discard outer leaves if necessary. Then with a sharp knife, remove the core in a conic shape. Remove leaves one by one until you reach the center. Trim or remove the center “vein” of each leaf for best results.
- Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. Blanch your cabbage until tender but not fully cooked (3 to 4 minutes, maximum). Immediately strain and shock into an ice bath. When fully cold, remove cabbage from water and strain. Best if you use clean kitchen towels to pat them dry.
- Stack leaves and roll into a cigar shape and cut into strips about a ¼ inch thick.
- Over medium-high heat, preheat a skillet. Add your lardons and cook until crisp. Discard rendered fat. Add butter, chopped garlic, cabbage, toss lightly then add cooking cream. Adjust seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.
- While cabbage simmers, pat the salmon fillets completely dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the salmon skin-side down.
- Cook skin-side down DO NOT MOVE THEM! Adjust heat if necessary. After 3 minute or so, you will notice that heat already reached halfway through each portion. LEAVE IT ALONE for another 2 minutes. (At this point, feel free to move them around without flipping.) Reduce to minimal heat, add butter, and baste the top side with the melted butter until you see the fish begin to become opaque. Remember, the top side should be barely cooked, but warm.
- Serve the salmon over the creamed Savoy cabbage. You can plate with crispy skin up, or down. Your choice.
