Salmon and Kimchi Skillet

By Sarah DiGregorio

Published Sept. 2, 2024

Salmon and Kimchi Skillet
Armando Rafael for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(1,170)
Comments
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Sautéing kimchi brings out its mellower side: a delicious, cabbage-y sweetness. In Korean cuisine, stir-fried kimchi (kimchi-bokkeum) is a classic staple served with rice. In this recipe, the kimchi is cooked in a fragrant mix of butter and toasted sesame oil along with just a touch of sugar, making a four-ingredient seasoning and sauce for salmon filets. Often, jarred cabbage kimchi is already chopped into large bite-size pieces, so you can simply empty the jar into the skillet. If your kimchi has very long or unwieldy pieces of cabbage, you may want to use kitchen scissors to snip them up in the jar (or chop it on a cutting board). Serve the salmon and kimchi with rice. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings 
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil 
  • 1(16- ounce) jar chopped cabbage kimchi (about 2 cups)
  • ½teaspoon sugar
  • 4(6- to 8-ounce) salmon fillets, patted dry 
  • Salt 
  • Chopped scallions and sesame seeds, for topping (optional) 
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

507 calories; 36 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 41 grams protein; 591 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Melt the butter with the sesame oil in a 12-inch, oven-safe skillet over high heat.

  2. Step 2

    When the butter’s foam subsides, add the kimchi with its liquid to the skillet. Stir in the sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has bubbled away and the kimchi has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. If the liquid simmers away quickly, before the kimchi has softened, decrease the heat to medium and stir often.

  3. Step 3

    Season the salmon lightly with salt. Nestle the fillets in the skillet, skin-side down if your fillets are skin-on, spooning kimchi on top of the salmon. Roast in the oven for 6 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Turn the broiler to high. Put the skillet on a rack about 5 inches from the broiler heat source and broil, turning and checking the fish and kimchi once, until the kimchi gets very deeply browned in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve topped with scallions and sesame seeds, if you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,170 user ratings
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Comments

Sid

I followed the instructions for cooking. Next time, I think I will try cooking the kimchi in butter and then topping it with sesame seed oil. The recipe ended up being a bit too toasty, almost like it was burnt. I believe the issue may have been that the sesame oil was already hot, and then the entire dish was heated at 450 degrees, while the heating point for sesame seed oil was 410. I served on a bed of steamed rice. Overall will cook again! 7/10

Deborah

My family (including my teenager) LOVED this- it's very quick, and very nice. I added chopped purple cabbage before the kimchee just to increase the veggies- it worked really well.

meg

Made as instructed, added gochugaru chile flakes on top at end with sesame seeds and scallions. Served with noodles and sautéed spinach. Delicious!

KM

Delicious! I used sockeye which cooked in maybe 3 min, so next time I’ll let the kimchi caramelize first. Definitely needs a hit of acid at the end. Served with the Miso-Butter Roasted Broccoli

Suzanne

I've made this twice. I make my own Kimchi. I also live in the PNW so get fresh salmon. This is not the dish for those of us who are using fresh ingredients. That said, I can understand the interest given the ingredients suggested.

Vince

I did this on the stovetop only with no sugar and it was amazing. Used jongga kimchi from Costco. Unfortunately, I was the only one of the three of us who really got into it.

Gina

@Vince How did you do it on the stovetop? Did you add the salmon in when you added the kimchi? How long did you cook the salmon for? Very interested to see how you did it.

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