Gozney Salmon — Chris's Cast Iron, Ramsbottom

Danny is the fish expert. He'll tell you that himself. But Chris has a Gozney Dome in his back garden in Ramsbottom, and occasionally Chris does something with fish that makes you stop and pay attention.

This is a gozney salmon recipe that doesn't need a marinade, a rub, or a sauce. It doesn't need oil in the pan. It needs heat — real heat, the kind a domestic oven cannot produce — and a piece of good salmon. That's the whole argument.

The Cold Pan Method

Chris starts the salmon in a cold cast iron pan. No oil, no fat. At Gozney temperatures — the dial was reading 370°C — the pan heats so fast that oil would burn before the fish went in. The salmon goes in cold, skin side down, and the heat does what it does: the outside bronzes in the first minute, the inside stays soft. It's done in four to five minutes. You watch it rather than time it.

This is what high heat gives you that a domestic oven cannot: a sear that sets almost immediately, a texture on the outside that contrasts with the flesh inside, and a result that tastes like it came from somewhere with a proper fire. Because it did.

How Chris Served It

Rice, cucumber, Sriracha. That's it. The salmon is the point — everything else is there to carry it. The cucumber cuts the richness. The Sriracha does what Sriracha does. The rice absorbs the juices from the pan.

It's the kind of plate that looks simple because it is simple. The work was done by the fire.

Gozney Salmon — From the Gozney, Ramsbottom
Serves 1 | Cast iron pan | Prep 2 mins | Cook 4–5 mins | Total under 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 salmon fillet, skin on (150–180g)
• Cooked rice, to serve
• Cucumber, roughly chopped, to serve
• Sriracha, to serve
• Sea salt

Method

1. Fire the Gozney and bring it to around 370°C. Let it stabilise.
2. Place the salmon fillet skin side down in a cold cast iron pan — no oil, no fat. Slide the pan into the oven.
3. Cook for 4–5 minutes, watching rather than timing. The skin will crisp and the flesh will bronze on the outside while staying soft inside. When the colour has crept about two-thirds up the fillet, it's done.
4. Cook for 4–5 minutes, watching rather than timing. The skin will crisp and the flesh will bronze on the outside while staying soft inside. When the colour has crept about two-thirds up the fillet, it's done.
5. Remove from the oven. Rest for a minute. Serve over rice with cucumber and Sriracha alongside.

Recipe Notes

• No oil in the pan — at these temperatures it would burn before the fish goes in. The salmon has enough natural fat to cook without it.
• Watch the fish, not the clock. At 370°C things happen fast. The colour tells you everything.
• Chris cooks skin side down only — no flipping. The heat from the pan and the radiant heat from the dome cook the fillet through without turning.
• Any good salmon fillet works here. At these temperatures the quality of the fish matters more than anything else you do to it.
• Sriracha is Chris's choice. Soy with a little ginger would work just as well.

Footnote

This gozney salmon recipe is part of my Wood-Fired Recipes collection — From the Gozney, Ramsbottom. Fire cooking, cast iron, and high heat from Chris's back garden in Lancashire.

It also features in my Fish & Seafood Recipes collection — fish and seafood cooked simply and well.

And in From the Family Kitchen — Rochdale, Gran Alacant & Beyond.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef