ArcaMax

4 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets

For the salsa:

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 shallot, minced

3 tablespoons juice from 2 limes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeds reserved, and minced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Dissolve 1/2 cup salt in 2 quarts water in a large container. Submerge salmon in brine and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

2. Remove salmon from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the bottom of a 12-inch nonstick skillet evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place fillets, skin side down, in the skillet and sprinkle tops of fillets with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat skillet over medium-high heat and cook fillets without moving them until fat begins to render, skin begins to brown, and the bottom 1/4 inch of fillets turns opaque, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Using tongs, flip fillets and continue to cook without moving them until the centers are still translucent when checked with tip of a paring knife and register 125 F on a meat thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer fillets skin side down to a serving platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving with salsa.

Recipe notes: To ensure uniform cooking, buy a 1 1/2- to 2-pound center-cut salmon fillet and cut it into four pieces. Using skin-on salmon is important here, as we rely on the fat underneath the skin as the cooking medium (as opposed to adding extra oil). If using wild salmon, cook it until it registers 120 F. If you don’t want to serve the fish with the skin, we recommend peeling it off the fish after it is cooked.

(For 25 years, confident cooks in the know have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)