Maryland Oven-Fried Chicken

 

                                                   Maryland Oven-Fried Chicken

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sea salt (divided, plus more for serving)
  
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• ¹/₂ cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (plus more for serving)

 

Directions

1. In the morning, combine 2 tablespoons salt and about a cup of warm water in a large bowl or container. Stir to dissolve the salt. Trim the chicken of excess skin and fat. Add the chicken to the bowl. Cover with very cold water and add a tray of ice cubes. Swish around with your hand to disperse them. Chill in the refrigerator until dinner time.
2. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Remove the chicken from the fridge and pat dry completely with paper towels. Put the butter in a roasting pan large enough to fit the chicken in one layer (But remember, Judy says, "You don't want to crowd it or then it'll stew, like mushrooms"). Place the pan in the oven. In a 1-gallon freezer bag, pour in the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon salt and the pepper. Give it a good shake. Add the chicken pieces two at a time and shake them until thoroughly coated. As you lift them out of the bag, shake them off vigorously. This is vital. You do not want a gummy coating. Line them up on a plate, and repeat with the rest.
3. Lay the chicken pieces in the roasting pan, skin side down, and oven-fry until a chestnut brown and crisp on the bottom, about 40 minutes (sometimes it takes as long as an hour). Don’t flip them until this happens. Use a thin spatula to scrape them up off the pan and turn them; cook the other side until the bottom is browned, which will take less time, around 20 minutes. Remove the pieces from the oven as they finish cooking, and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Just before serving, grind fresh pepper over top and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Baked Salmon With Brown-Buttered Tomatoes & Basil

                                Baked Salmon With Brown-Buttered Tomatoes & Basil 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds salmon fillet (skin on or off)
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 5 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 tablespoon brown or black mustard seeds (see author note)
  
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
  
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  
• 1 to 2 cups fresh basil leaves
  
• flaky sea salt, for finishing
  
• Crusty bread, pasta, or rice, for serving

 

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. On a quarter sheet pan or baking dish, place salmon skin-side down. Season generously with salt and pepper.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and mustard seeds. Cook, gently swirling the pan, until the butter is nutty and browned and the seeds are fragrant and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes, lowering heat if needed. If using black mustard seeds, they will begin to pop once they're fully bloomed. Add red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes (to taste), and cherry tomatoes (dry them well if freshly washed; otherwise the hot butter will splatter!). Season with a few big pinches of salt. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes have started to burst and release their juices. Gently smash them to help them on their way (the back of a metal spatula or potato masher works well).
4. Pour the brown-buttered tomatoes over the salmon, smearing the butter and mustard seeds evenly over the salmon’s flesh. Bake until just-cooked through and the flesh flakes, about 15 minutes (or an instant-read thermometer reads 120 degrees in the thickest part).
5. Let cool for a few minutes, then shower the salmon with the basil. To serve, break the salmon into large pieces, and divide across plates with the brown-buttered tomatoes. Season with a few pinches of flaky sea salt.