This recipe is one of the easiest ways to prepare salmon, be it salmon fillets or salmon steaks. It was immensely popular with our family when  I was growing up back on the block in Spanish Harlem. It is also very versatile in that if you want to cut corners even more, you can skip the bread crumbs given in the recipe and broil the salmon as is with the condiments. But I like the crunchiness the crumbs bring to the dish.

It should be noted that I broil my salmon fairly close to the heat source, about 2-3 inches. Thus the initial broiling time is cut down to no more than 6-7 minutes. It should also be noted that this is one of the recipes included  in my first cookbook Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Running Press).

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
(Note: if using salmon steaks, they should be about ½-inch thick)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons Puerto Rican rum, light or dark (your choice)
½ cup light bread crumbs

Instructions:

  1. Preheat broiler to high.
  2.  Rinse salmon fillets and pat dry with paper towels.
  3.  Brush both sides of fillets with olive oil. Place in a slightly greased broiler pan (we prefer cast-iron).
  4.  In a small bowl, combine  butter, salt, pepper, garlic, rum and bread crumbs.
  5.  Put half of bread crumb mixture on top of salmon (skin side), and broil  2-3 inches from hear source for 3 minutes.
  6.  Carefully turn over salmon with a spatula. Put on the remaining crumb mixture. Broil 4 minutes longer.
    Yield: 4 servings.