Norway-Spicy Fig-Glazed Salmon with Dill Potatoes
Norway's legendary Atlantic salmon seared skin-side down until crispy, glazed with Spicy Fig Relish and finished in the oven until sticky and caramelized — served with buttered dill potatoes and a fig-spiked crème fraîche dipping sauce.
INGREDIENTS
• 4 salmon fillets, skin-on, pin-boned
• 6 tablespoons Spicy Fig Relish
• 1 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 21.4 ounces baby potatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 3 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons crème fraîche
• 1 teaspoons whole grain mustard
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
STEPS
1. Boil the potatoes: Place 21.4 ounces baby potatoes, halved in a large pot of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 12–15 minutes until just tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and set aside.
2. Make the glaze: Stir together 4 tbsp of 6 tablespoons Spicy Fig Relish, 1 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 lemon, juiced, and 1 garlic clove, minced in a small bowl until combined. This is your glaze — set half aside for finishing and serving.
3. Make the crème fraîche dipping sauce: Mix 4 tablespoons crème fraîche, 1 teaspoons whole grain mustard, and 1 tbsp of the reserved glaze together in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust — add more Spicy Fig Relish for sweetness and heat, more mustard for sharpness. Set aside.
4. Prep the salmon: Pat 4 salmon fillets, skin-on, pin-boned completely dry with paper towels — any moisture on the skin is the enemy of a good crisp. Season all over with 1 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoons black pepper.
5. Sear the salmon skin-side down: Heat 1 tablespoons olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place salmon fillets skin-side down and press each one gently with a spatula for 30 seconds to ensure full contact with the pan. Cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crispy and the flesh is opaque about two-thirds of the way up.
6. Glaze and finish in the oven: Spoon the glaze generously over the top of each fillet. Transfer the skillet to a preheated 200°C (400°F) oven for 4–5 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through and the glaze is bubbling and caramelized at the edges.
7. Butter and dill the potatoes: While the salmon is in the oven, return the drained potatoes to the pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons salted butter and toss until melted and coating every potato. Add 3 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped, season to taste, and toss again.
8. Plate and serve: Plate the buttered dill potatoes alongside the glazed salmon. Drizzle the remaining Spicy Fig glaze over the fish and serve the crème fraîche dipping sauce on the side with 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve. Extra 6 tablespoons Spicy Fig Relish on the table for those who want more heat.
NOTES
Norway is one of the world's largest salmon producers — it's as central to Norwegian food culture as haggis is to Scotland. The Spicy Fig Relish is a natural fit here: Scandinavians have always paired rich, oily fish with sweet-tangy preserves — think gravlax with mustard-dill sauce, or pickled herring with lingonberry. The fig relish slots right into that tradition, just with more backyard attitude than anything you'd find in Bergen. The key to perfect crispy salmon skin is patience — press it gently into the pan for the first 30 seconds and then leave it completely alone until it releases naturally. Moving it too early tears the skin. The crème fraîche sauce is there to echo the Nordic dairy tradition and cool the heat of the relish at the table.
