The Spicy Condiment That Will Instantly Upgrade Your Salmon

Chefs of all abilities love having a whole spice rack of choices to flavor food. But they also love all-encompassing spice blends that impart lots of flavor and textures all at once. Everything Bagel seasoning imparts all the goodness of a morning bagel onto pizza, bagels, or vegetables, and Colombo seasoning can add flavors of the Caribbean to tender cuts of chicken or beef. Meanwhile, chili crisp can be the ace-in-the-hole that instantly upgrades a prime piece of salmon.

Chili crisp is a condiment with origins in Chinese cuisine and is traditionally made with dried chilies, garlic, shallots, oil, onions, dried shrimp, mushrooms, salt, and pepper, among many other additions. It's become popular in recent times because it has everything cooks want in a spice blend: Aromatics, a little bit of oil, elements of crunch, some heat, and a dash of umami flavor. Whether cooks are using a homemade blend or a store-brand mix, it has the potential to touch all tastebuds with its flavor blend.

Salmon is well-known for its umami flavor and chili crisp can amplify that meaty taste to a higher plane. Those who love the flaky fish can use it to quickly flavor a salmon filet and throw it on the grill or onto a sheet pan with a colorful mix of vegetables.

Because it's made with so many different flavors and textures, chili crisp is an easy choice for adding flavor to salmon, before or after cooking. Before cooking salmon, chili crisp can be mixed with mayo, honey, or soy sauce to make a glaze or rub to coat the salmon with. Depending on flavor preference, honey can add sweetness to balance the savory flavors of the chili crisp, mayo can cut through the richness of the mix, and soy sauce can accentuate the Asian flavors of the chili crisp.

Chili crisp is also a popular choice for marinades and reverse marinades. Marinading salmon in chili crisp before cooking infuses the flavors of chilies, garlic, salt, and other ingredients directly into the fish — which can be a bonus for those who like flavor, but may not enjoy the natural taste of salmon. Brushing on a coating of chili crisp on a freshly cooked filet for a reverse marinade instantly adds strong aromatics and flavor. It can also spice up the appearance of a salmon filet, taking a simple salt and pepper seasoned piece of fish and turning it into a colorful, Instagram-worthy entree.