pansalmon
I am going to be cooking salmon for dinner tonight on the stove and debating whether to use a non-stick or metal pan.
I was going to use the non-stick at first, but saw an interesting approach where a guy puts olive oil and butter into his metal pan, which seems more flavorful.
Thoughts?
You want to minimize the amount of fat you consume from farm-raised salmon. This means you should trim the fat from farm-raised salmon and avoid frying. Farm-raised salmon should be grilled, broiled, or baked, anything that burns away some of the fat. (Farm raised salmon is 52% fattier than wild caught salmon).
Why? Farm raised salmon have ridiculously high amounts of carcinogens known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as compared to wild salmon, and many other foods for that matter. You can blame the feed they are given. These carcinogens are concentrated in the fat of the fish, which is why you want to minimize the fat intake. The levels of PCBs in farm-raised salmon can be 10 to 16 times higher than wild caught salmon, and up to 40 times the level found in other foods.
Experts recommend eating farm-raised salmon no more than once a month to minimize exposure.
Sources:
I suggest getting a quality stainless clad saute pan or saucier. For years I made risotto in the All-Clad 3 qt. saute pan shown here:
Unless you're serving huge portions this is plenty of room for 6 servings of risotto. There are larger options available though, including a mammoth 14" 6 quart one.
This pan easily does 90% of the work in my kitchen, so at any price it carries its weight in the kitchen.
That said, this past Christmas I got the All-Clad 3 qt. copper-core saucier shown here:
It's a very close matchup, but this pan is perfect for making risotto. The higher sides are a definite benefit, but you don't sacrifice much in flat surface area. The copper core is amazingly responsive, noticeably more so than aluminum. It's obviously rather expensive, so if you're uncomfortable spending that much on a pan I'd suggest getting one of their regular 3 qt sauciers -- you'll spend at least half as much.
If I only had one pan in my kitchen though, I think I'd still go back to the saute pan above. Its versatility is just unmatched.
Regarding your concerns that a wider pan won't heat as evenly, this is generally true for a cheaper pan. However, All-Clad pans use magic to bond a layer of aluminum (or copper) between a layer of magnetic stainless (exterior) and 18/10 stainless (interior). The end result is a very even heat which you can actually confirm with an infrared thermometer.
Best Answer
If you are pan-frying fish (not sauteeing - that is different), the type of pan you use should not be your primary concern. Any pan wide enough to hold your fish should be sufficient. You could use nonstick or cast iron. Both will work if proper technique is used.
Here are things to consider:
Salmon will stick to almost anything, even non-stick surfaces, when it cooks. The secret to not winding up with ruined salmon is in the chemistry of the cooking process. After the maillard reactions in the meat progress, the surface of the fish that is in contact with the pan will begin to caramelize, and that caramelization will cause the fish to automatically detach from the pan. The pan should be pretty hot to accomplish this, and it's important not to move the fish in the pan until this happens, unless you want a mess on your hands.
When I pan fry salmon, I find that I don't need much fat. I will usually not add any fat to the pan and simply brush the salmon with some canola oil and grind on some salt and pepper before adding it to a hot pan. Butter can also work, but I would use clarified butter because of its higher smoke point.
Other things to consider include:
Are you making a fillet or a steak? These have different geometries and lend to different cooking methods.
Thickness of the pieces. You want to make sure that the inside cooks before the outside is overcooked. Thicker pieces may need to be pan fried on both sides and then finished in a hot oven. Thinner pieces, such as a sockeye salmon fillet, can be done on the grill or under the broiler entirely.
Do you know your target temperature? Salmon is done when it reaches ~130 F. Get a thermometer and insert it into the thickest part of the meat when you think it might be done.
Hopefully that helps somewhat!