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Delicious seasonal recipes from the Post Food team.

Crispy Salmon and Bulgur Salad. (Tom McCorkle/For The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico)

By Becky Krystal

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Good Saturday morning, everyone. What’s on the food agenda this weekend? Are you eating out, or cooking in? Or maybe you’re thinking about something in between and want to make a chef-inspired meal in your own kitchen.

Whether through cookbooks or one-off collaborations, I’ve worked on my fair share of chef recipes, and I can tell you based on my experience, they have a tricky line to walk. How do you scale down a recipe that you’re used to making in restaurant kitchen quantities? What adjustments do you make to accommodate the equipment in a typical home kitchen? What ingredients and techniques are accessible to the average home cook?

Of course, there is also the impulse to offer a unique, elevated twist that makes a recipe worthy of the “chef” label. And for those of us cooking the dishes, there’s an aspirational element as well. We come to learn something new from the people who know what they’re doing.

It’s a balancing act, and the best chefs understand how to both challenge us and meet us where we are. Even if the goal is to skew more home cook than restaurant pro, they excel at adding just enough cheffy flair to elevate our everyday cooking.

That’s exactly what you’ll find in this week’s featured recipe: the Crispy Salmon and Bulgur Salad that Ellie Krieger shared from Ham El-Waylly’s new book, “Hello, Home Cooking.” During the pandemic, the former fine-dining chef sought inspiration in the recipes he grew up eating, and in this colorful main course, he riffs on tabbouleh. The lemony grain salad packed with herbs starts with one of his smart tips — toasting the bulgur first to coax out its nutty flavor.

But as someone who doesn’t prepare a ton of fish at home, I found his method for cooking the salmon especially revelatory: He first sears the fillets skin side down in the pan for just 1 minute, then transfers them to the oven to finish, flipping them halfway through. The result is incredibly crispy skin above a moist (not overcooked!) interior. The salmon and salad duo is refreshing and elegant yet achievable for home cooks. Heck, I’d be pleased if someone served it to me in a restaurant, it’s that good. Below you’ll find a few more recipes that hit that same sweet spot of doable and chef-inspired.

If you’re looking to take your drinks knowhow to the next level, why not delve deeper into the world of Mexican agave spirits? Mezcal is the term often overbroadly applied to what is actually a wide-ranging, nuanced type of alcohol that tastes so much more than “smoky,” Spirits columnist Carrie Allan says. Once you’ve read more about them, try one or two on their own and then in her Garden Margarita, a take on the classic cocktail for which you’ll muddle a bit of cucumber, yellow bell pepper and jalapeño.

One programming note before I wrap up: While you’ll still get your regular Saturday newsletter next week, I’m taking a week off our live weekly cooking chat. I’ll be back in action Thursday, May 14, at 11 a.m. Eastern. Submit your questions now, then return when I get things started.

Until next week, happy cooking.

Garden Margarita

(Scott Suchman; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky/Both for The Washington Post)

Bright, fresh and quietly complex, this vegetable-enhanced riff on a margarita works with a variety of agave and agave-adjacent spirits.

By M. Carrie Allan

Crispy Salmon and Bulgur Salad

Set crispy-skinned salmon fillets on top of a lemony, tabbouleh-like bulgur salad for an approachable, restaurant-style meal at home.

Red Hen Mezzi Rigatoni With Fennel Sausage Ragu

This is a home cook’s version of the pasta that President Biden and first lady Jill Biden both ordered at Washington’s Red Hen.

Roast Chicken Thighs With Mumbo Sauce

These roast chicken thighs are inspired by a dish at chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Marcus DC restaurant in Washington.

Lamb Burgers With Yassa Onion Jam

Chef Eric Adjepong’s flavorful lamb burgers are topped with an onion jam inspired by yassa poulet, the national dish of Senegal.

Nancy’s Italian Chopped Salad

Cookbook author and chef Nancy Silverton says she has been making various versions of chopped salads since the 1970s.

Recipe of the Week

(Tom McCorkle/For The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico)

Crispy Salmon and Bulgur Salad

Find substitution suggestions and other tips below the recipe.

Save or print the recipe

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.

Servings: 2 to 3 (makes about 6 cups bulgur salad)

Total time: 1 hour

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

Steps

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Adapted from “Hello, Home Cooking” by Ham El-Waylly (Clarkson Potter, 2026). Tested by Becky Krystal.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 667; Total Fat: 35 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 94 mg; Sodium: 488 mg; Carbohydrates: 51 g; Dietary Fiber: 10 g; Sugar: 5 g; Protein: 42 g.

Substitution suggestions + other tips and ideas: