One trick to restaurant-quality salmon at home

It was a challenge for Ham El-Waylly to embrace home cooking at first. As an acclaimed fine-dining chef, there was a time when "if it wasn’t plated with tweezers, I didn’t want it,” he writes in his new cookbook, "Hello, Home Cooking.”

But when the pandemic hit, he was forced to reconsider the way he prepared meals at home. He dropped the tweezers, streamlined his approach and found inspiration in his childhood memories, rediscovering his mother’s recipes and the comforting international dishes he grew up with from Qatar, Bolivia, Brazil and Egypt. The book, his first, is filled with his joyous, playful spin on these recipes, all doable for a regular home cook, yet leveled up with El-Waylly’s creativity and smart culinary techniques.

This dish, adapted from the book, features a lemony, tabbouleh-like bulgur salad topped with salmon. He is careful not to call it tabbouleh because, as he explains in the book, the fine bulgur required for that is not widely available in US supermarkets. Instead, he dubs it a grain bowl, opening up the definition to accommodate whatever grind of bulgur you can find.

It’s easy to prepare, but El-Waylly builds in a few cheffy techniques to make it even more alluring. For one, before adding the water to the bulgur in the pot, the grain is toasted for several minutes to intensify its nutty taste and aroma. Once the bulgur is cooked and cooled, you toss it with chopped vegetables, a trio of fresh herbs (parsley, dill and mint), a warming hint of cinnamon, a generous helping of lemon juice and some good olive oil. He warns against overchopping the parsley, which bruises the leaves and muddies its delicate flavor, and suggests chopping it only just once through.

He also elevates this dish from the way a regular home cook might approach it by crisping the skin on the salmon fillets. To do that, place the fish skin side down in a hot, oiled pan, pressing it down as it cooks for a minute on the stove, before finishing it in the oven. With the crispy-skinned salmon served majestically on top of the sumptuous bulgur salad, it’s a meal that is simple and nourishing, yet extraordinarily tasty and special - proof that anyone can upgrade their everyday cooking by adding a touch of chef-inspired flair.

Crispy Salmon and Bulgur Salad
Servings: 2-3 (makes about 6 cups bulgur salad)
Total time: 1 hour

Set crispy-skinned salmon fillets on top of a lemony, tabbouleh-like bulgur salad for an approachable, restaurant-style meal at home. You’ll make a generous amount of the salad, which is flavored with piles of fresh herbs, onion, garlic and a hint of cinnamon, but you can serve the leftovers on their own or tucked into a pita with hummus and more vegetables.

This recipe makes two or three servings depending on your appetite - buy the salmon accordingly so you have one fillet per serving. For maximum efficiency, we suggest prepping the vegetables and herbs while the bulgur cooks and cools.

Make ahead:The bulgur salad can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 2 days in advance.

Storage: Refrigerate the salad and salmon separately for up to 2 days.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup bulgur (any grind)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more as needed
2 cups water
1 large ripe tomato (7 ounces), diced (1 cup)
1 small yellow onion (5 ounces), diced (1 cup)
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
6 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
2 mini cucumbers, diced (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more as needed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 skin-on salmon fillets (6 to 8 ounces each), patted dry
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado or canola

DIRECTIONS
Step 1
In a medium (4-quart) pot over medium heat, combine the bulgur and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. Toast, stirring frequently, until the bulgur smells nutty, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the water and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the bulgur rest, covered, for 5 minutes, then uncover and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Step 2
Add the tomato, onion, garlic, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt to the bulgur in the pot and toss to combine. Let it sit, uncovered, until completely cool, 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 3
Add the dill, parsley, mint, scallions, cucumbers, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper and toss until well combined. Add the olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Step 4
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Season the salmon with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Step 5
Heat an oven-safe medium (10-inch) skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat until it is very lightly smoking. Add the neutral oil and swirl it around the pan to coat. The oil should shimmer immediately. Add the salmon to the pan, skin side down, being careful to avoid any oil splatters. Immediately press down firmly on the salmon with a spatula to flatten it. (If you have a press, place it on top of the salmon.) Cook for 1 minute, then transfer the skillet to the oven.

Step 6
Bake until the salmon is opaque halfway up and the skin is visibly crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the press, if using, and flip the salmon over. Continue baking until the fish is barely flaking with the tines of a fork, 1 to 3 minutes more, or to your desired doneness.

Step 7
Transfer the salmon, skin side up, to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Divide the bulgur salad among individual plates, set the salmon on top and serve.

Substitutions: Yellow onion >> white onion. Instead of all three herbs >> use one or any combination you have. Mini cucumbers >> 1/2 English cucumber, seeded and finely diced.

Nutritional facts per serving (1 salmon fillet and about 2 cups bulgur salad), based on 3: Calories: 667, Fat: 35 g, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Carbohydrates: 51 g, Sodium: 488 mg, Cholesterol: 94 mg, Protein: 42 g, Fiber: 10 g, Sugar: 5 g.

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
Adapted from "Hello, Home Cooking” by Ham El-Waylly (Clarkson Potter, 2026).