Salmon tutorial by PHAFOFOOD

Salmon has never swum in Haitian waters, but in diaspora kitchens it has become a classic. A fillet marinated in Grangou Marinade, rubbed with citrus juice, scented with garlic and thyme, baked until the flesh flakes into tender petals. It's the fancy Sunday fish, the perfect middle ground between everyday North American cooking and the spicy soul of Haiti. With a spoonful of Phafo Pikliz added on top to finish, the match is complete.

Ingredients for 4 people, or 2 hungry people

• 4 salmon fillets (about 180 g each, ideally skin-on: the skin protects the flesh during cooking)
• 2 tablespoons Grangou Marinade (epis)
• Juice of 2 limes
• Juice of 1 orange (or 1/2 sour orange if available)
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons oil (avocado or olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Topping (optional, use what you like): 1 onion, thinly sliced, 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips. That's what's in the video, but you can adapt it to what you have
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 cloves
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• A few lemon slices for serving

How to make it

Making Haitian salmon isn't complicated. The secret is in the marinade, and in not overcooking it. Baking is the easiest and most reliable method.

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Rinse the salmon fillets well in cold water, rub them with the juice of one lime to clean them (a classic Haitian step), then pat them dry carefully with paper towels. Well-dried salmon cooks better.

2. In a shallow dish, mix the Grangou Marinade, the juice of the remaining lime, the orange juice, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Generously rub each salmon fillet with this mixture, covering every side. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes. No longer, or the citrus starts to cook the flesh.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the topping (optional): heat 1 spoonful of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and bell pepper and sweat for 5 minutes, until tender. Add the thyme and cloves, stir. Set aside.

4. In a lightly oiled baking dish, place the salmon fillets skin side down (the skin protects the flesh from direct heat and keeps the salmon tender). Drizzle the oil and melted butter over the top, add a few lemon slices and the whole scotch bonnet pepper if you like.

5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. The salmon is ready when it flakes easily with a fork but the centre is still slightly pink. It will keep cooking on the plate, so it's better to take it out a little too early than too late.

6. Serve right away, topped with the pan-fried onions and peppers (or the vegetables of your choice) and a lemon slice, and finish by adding a good spoonful of Phafo Pikliz on top for a fresh, spicy contrast. Serve with white rice, sticky rice (diri kole), fried plantains or steamed vegetables. There you go, enjoy!

The story behind Haitian salmon

Salmon isn't a tropical fish: it lives in the cold waters of the North, from the Pacific to the St. Lawrence. In Haiti, people know red snapper, grouper, bonito and sea bream better. Salmon is a diaspora fish: it became a star of Haitian kitchens in North America because it was what you could find at the supermarket, and because it was affordable, healthy and easy to cook. Haitian cooks quickly did what they always do: they marinated it in epis and made it their own.

The result is a true culinary fusion. The rich flesh of salmon absorbs the flavours of epis extraordinarily well, perhaps better than many leaner tropical fish. The thyme, garlic and cloves of the Haitian marinade pair perfectly with the taste of salmon, and the acidity of the citrus (lime, orange) balances the richness of the fish. It's a recipe that feels like it has always existed, when in fact it is recent, a few decades at most.

This recipe also tells the story of how contemporary Haitian cooking has evolved. For a long time, fish in Haitian cooking meant fish in sauce with the head and bones: traditional, but not always practical for a diaspora that doesn't always have access to whole fish or specialty grocers. Salmon fillets, bought at Costco or Metro, became the modern, accessible way to carry on the tradition. Not a betrayal, but an adaptation.

Getting Haitian-style salmon right comes down to two principles: don't marinate it too long (the citrus will start to cook it cold, like a ceviche), and don't overcook it (salmon dries out almost instantly). With those two precautions and Grangou Marinade doing the aromatic work, you get a fancy bistro dish in an everyday kitchen. Haitian salmon is one more proof that Creole cooking knows how to keep up with the times while keeping its soul.