Samin Nosrat’s James Beard Award-winning book, Salt Fat Acid Heat! When this book came out in 2017, I was relatively new to cooking and this book was a revelation – breaking cooking down to its essential elements, teaching me the WHY and how of cooking, and helping me to adjust recipes to balance each dish I’m cooking and developing. It’s a book I pull out and reference on the regular!
I absolutely adore the accompanying Netflix series and fell in love with Samin’s sense of humor, her ability to keep things real, her zest, and her contagious appreciation for food. She also hosts (along with @hrishihirway) one of my favorite food podcasts: Home Cooking!
While I love the book as a resource, I’m embarrassed to admit I had not cooked much from it. Most of Samin’s dishes I’ve made were her column on New York Times Cooking: Farro E Peppe, Chapli Burgers, and Fried Sage Salsa Verde – all of which have become part of my regular rotation.
Recipes made: 21/104 (20.2%)
SKIP TO CHAPTERS: Salads – Vegetable – Stocks and Soup – Beans, Grains, and Pasta – Eggs – Fish – Chicken – Meat – Sweets
Salads
Vietnamese Cucumber Salad
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 226
Rating: 4/5
Recipe on Vogue.com
Samin’s refreshing Vietnamese Cucumber Salad is a combination of thinly sliced Persian cucumbers, jalapenos, scallions, garlic, cilantro, mint, and peanuts dressed in a lime/vinegar/fish sauce vinaigrette! It was a perfect late summer, no-oven-required side. I did add a little gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) for a little more kick as I love it paired with cucumbers
Shaved Carrot Salad with Ginger and Lime
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 227
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online.
I hadn’t planned on making this salad, but Samin recommended it as an accompaniment to another dish … and I couldn’t be happier I gave it a shot! It takes forever to cut up the carrots, but you can really slice them any way you prefer and the rest comes together quickly. The carrots are mixed with raisins (which I usually hate in dishes, but were surprisingly good here), toasted cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, jalapenos, and cilantro. Dressed with a lime vinaigrette, it’s a cool, refreshing treat that’s packed with flavor and plenty of heat!
Summer Panzanella: Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber with Torn Croutons and Tomato Vinaigrette
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page231
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on Food&Wine.
I have yet to meet a Panzanella I didn’t love – bread salad? Yes, please! And while Ina has several amazing ones, I have to admit I may have a new favorite in Samin’s Summer Panzanella: Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber with Torn Croutons and Tomato Vinaigrette (she has a Panzanella for every season) While the ingredients are pretty standard – tomatoes, basil, red onion, red peppers, and cucumbers – what makes this one special is the tomato vinaigrette made of shallots, red wine vinegar, aged balsamic vinegar, grated tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and garlic! It ups the tomato factor by 1000 and the mix of kinds of vinegar provides the perfect zing! I also love that she quickly macerates the red onion – taking out a little of the bite.
Vegetables
Cherry Tomato Confit
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 256
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on Vogue.com
I love the simplicity of a tomato confit – cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, and olive oil simmer away in the oven until the tomatoes are tender and the olive is infused with all those delicious flavors. Samin recommends tossing them with pasta and spooning over chicken but my favorite way to eat it is toast bread, spread with homemade ricotta (I adore Ina’s version), and piled with the confit. The crunch of the bread, creamy rich ricotta, and bursting tomatoes make for one heavenly bite that screams summer.
Spicy Broccoli Rabe with Ricotta Salata
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 264
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online.
The slow-cooked rabe is delightfully tender and flavored with onions, garlic, and lemon with some heat from red pepper flakes. I tried it two ways: with grated ricotta Salata and with a dollop of the leftover ricotta and both were wonderful!
Stocks and Soups
Stracciatella Roman Egg Drop Soup
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 273
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on NYTCooking.com
I just made a fresh batch of chicken stock and knew this would be the perfect dish to let that liquid gold shine! Samin cautions you to not overmix as you slowly pour the egg into the warm broth as you’ll end up with small bits of egg versus the desired long strains. Well, I did the exact opposite and didn’t stir enough and was left with a lump of poached scrambled eggs floating in the center. I fished that out and gave it another shot – while it turned out a little better, I didn’t quite get the long strings of eggs I was hoping for, but it was still tasty!
Tuscan Bean and Kale Soup
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 274
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on Washington Post.
The other soup I made, Tuscan Bean and Kale Soup, also starts with soffrito (well, technically starts with optional bacon – but if you eat meat go for the bacon as it lends a smokey meatiness that took this to the next level)! That’s combined with crushed tomatoes, white beans, parmesan, chicken stock, Tuscan kale, and green cabbage. It’s meant to be a very thick, hearty soup and is perfect to get those veggies in but still feel full long after finishing!
Beans, Grains and Pasta
Persian-ish Rice
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 285
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on Food52.
I’ve wanted to attempt Persian-ish Rice (tahdig) for years but have always been intimidated by having to flip the final dish onto a platter. To make Samin’s version, you heat butter and oil in a 10-inch pan then spread a layer of cooked rice that’s been combined with yogurt in the bottom. This is topped with the remaining rice with holes poked through to allow the steam to escape and cook for about 35 minutes. Then it’s the moment of truth – you place a platter over the pan and flip … hoping for an intact disk with an evenly golden brown crust! Well, happily mine came out in a perfect disk, with golden brown edges … and a charred black center. The worst part: I could even smell it burning but convinced myself that it was part of the process and was way more worried about that perfect flip. All wasn’t lost, I just scrapped off the charred rice, stirred the rest together, and served! It was absolutely delicious! The next attempt will be potato tahig with crispy potatoes on the bottom!
Pasta Cacio e Pepe
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page290
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on TheKitchn.com
I adore a good cacio e pepe – it’s simplicity at its best, and because it’s so easy to make it’s one dish I can’t bring myself to order in a restaurant and pay $20+. With only a couple of elements, it’s very important to get good quality ingredients: pasta, fresh ground pepper, olive oil, and pecorino romano. For Samin’s version, cracked pepper is heated in olive oil, then combined with pasta water, tossed with warm pasta, and finally a whole bunch of very finely grated pecorino (using a Microplane helps the cheese fully integrate into the dish). It was phenomenal and with Samin’s sage advice I’m sure it will come out perfect every time – no split sauces here!
Eggs
Kuku Sabzi Persian Herb and Greens Frittata
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 306
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on Splendid Table.
This section contains just one full recipe: Kuku Sabzi which Samin says is the Persian answer to the frittata! With 2 bunches of green chard, a leek, 4 cups of finely chopped cilantro and 2 cups of dill, and just enough egg to bind it together, I’m pretty sure you can get your weekly allotment of greens with just a slice. Seasoned with just salt and cooked in a mix of butter and olive oil, the greens really get to have their moment – I loved the vibrant color and the leftovers were just as good as right out of the pan – even better with a dollop of yogurt as Samin suggests. The recipe calls for a flip mid-cook, but I wimped out and just followed her instructions for finishing this in the oven!
Fish
Slow-Roasted Citrus Salmon
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 311
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe on Once Upon A Chef
I don’t eat nearly as much salmon as I used to as Alex isn’t a huge fan – and TBH no one is a fan of the lingering smell in the apartment from cooking! But I think Samin’s Slow-Roasted Citrus Salmon may be the answer (for the smell at least) To make this, you removed the skin and place the filet on a bed of lemons before roasting low and slow at 225 degrees for 50 minutes. The gentle cooking didn’t cause any noticeable smell and even better resulted in perfectly flakey, moist, and tender salmon! We served the large chunks of salmon over Samin’s delightful Avocado and Citrus Salad composed of grapefruit, oranges, macerated red onions, and sliced avocado. The pairing was perfect as the acid cut through the fat of the salmon and creamy avocado and the macerated onions lent a nice crunch!
Tuna Confit
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 314
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on Luke’s Lobster
For the second dish, I made her mouthwatering Provencal Tuna Confit Sandwich. The tuna is cooked in warm olive oil infused with garlic, red pepper flakes, bay, lemon, and black peppercorns – once cooled you can create the magical sandwich. I used a demi-baguette, smeared it with Samin’s aioli then layered on the tuna confit, basil leaves, a sliced 10-minute egg, cucumbers, tomatoes, and finally a sprinkling of capers. I am drooling just thinking back to this masterpiece.
Chicken
Chicken and Garlic Soup
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 332
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online.
I first tackled Samin’s warm and comforting Chicken and Garlic Soup – homemade stock is key for a highly flavored, luscious broth. To start, you brown the chicken in a dutch oven – you can either use a cut-up full chicken or just legs and thighs, which I prefer! You then cooked a soffrito (carrots, celery, and onion) until tender before adding the chicken, stock, salt and pepper, and thinly sliced sauteed garlic. Simmered for 50 minutes, you then remove the chicken, cool, shred and return to the soup. Between the homemade stock, searing the chicken, and cooking with bone-in chicken this was one of the most intensely flavored chicken soups I’ve ever had and immediately took me back to my Grandma Pheifer’s kitchen and the chicken noodle soup she made that I had completely forgotten about – taste memory is so powerful! A big bowl of comfort – now I just need to find my grandma’s recipe!
Chicken with Vinegar
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 336
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on TheGaurdian.com
Her Chicken with Vinegar is a lesson on how acid can help balance a rich dish. To make, chicken is lightly dredged in flour, browned, then set aside while the onions are cooked in butter. When the onions are nice and brown, you add white wine vinegar and white wine to deglaze the pot followed by tarragon + chicken, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. To finish, the chicken is removed to a platter and heavy cream is added pot, combined, and warmed until thickened. The creamy, oniony, tarragon sauce is then spooned over the chicken and served. Overall I loved the dish – it reminded me a lot of Ina’s Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mustard Sauce! Although next time I will just garnish with parsley as fresh tarragon isn’t a favorite of mine!
Glazed Five-Spice Chicken
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 338
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online.
The final dish I made was her Glazed Five-Spice Chicken which is marinated overnight in soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, Chinese five-spice powder, and cayenne then roasted in a hot oven until the skin crisps up, the marinade forms a glaze and the chicken is cooked. One bite and I was instantly transported back to my friend’s grandma’s similarly glazed pork that I always loved.
Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 340
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on NYTCooking.com
The most recommended dish from Salt Fat Acid Heat was Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken – it’s even Jacques Pépin approved – and you can officially mark me down for fan club membership! Using only buttermilk, chicken, and salt, you might wonder what could be so special about this bird, but Samin explains how each element makes for roast chicken perfection. The bird is marinated in buttermilk and salt for 24 hours which allows time for the salt to penetrate the chicken enhancing flavor, increases the moisture level, and as Samin describes “disables proteins, preventing them from squeezing the liquid from the meat as the bird cooks.” The dark brown skin comes from the sugars in the buttermilk which caramelizes in the oven. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a more tender, juicy, flavorful, home-cooked chicken – the meat was falling off the bones, and the skin’s perfectly crispy – this was the closest I’ve come to recreating rotisserie chicken without a rotisserie!
Meat
Pork Braised with Chilies
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 348
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on CiaoSamin.com
The other feast I prepared from this section was her Pork Braised with Chilies which, taking Samin’s lead, we used to make tacos! The tender shredded pork flavored with onions, tomatoes, cumin, and a smokey heat from dried chiles and smoked paprika was delicious on its own, but even better piled into a corn tortilla with Bright Cabbage Slaw, Mexican-ish Herb Salsa, and some Mexican crema to finish it off!
Kufte Kebabs
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 358
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on The Guardian.com
These torpedo-shaped Kufte Kebabs are simple lamb meatballs flavored with saffron, onion, garlic, turmeric, parsley, mint, and cilantro. As I’m not the biggest saffron fan (it seems to be all I ever taste in the recipe), I should have tried the Moroccan and Turkish versions in the book! But despite the saffron, I still enjoyed these and they were made even better with all the accompanying brightly colored dips, drizzles, and sides! It was a feast for your eyes and mouth and I’d highly recommend making the whole spread. For more about each of the sides, see below.
Sweets
Apple and Frangipane Tart
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 397
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe on CiaoSamin.com
I hit a little bump with Samin’s Apple and Frangipane Tart. After making the dough and frangipane, slicing the apples, arranging them in a pattern, and folding over the edges I was pretty happy with how things were looking. But during an early turn in the baking process, I brush my arm against the wall of the oven, recoiled in pain, and dragged my glove across the side of the tart – after all the work I wasn’t too happy. Luckily, while it wasn’t visually perfect, it tasted so unbelievably good! The slightly sweet tart crust is slathered with mouthwatering frangipane (a sweet almond cream) and thinly sliced apples then cooked until the tart is crisp, the apples tender, and the frangipane set. While I didn’t get a photo of it topped with a little whipped cream, I’d highly recommend the addition.
Lori’s Chocolate Midnight Cake
Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 410
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online.
Chocolate cake is never my first choice, but, like Samin, Lori’s Chocolate Midnight Cake has won over my heart – well at least shares a place with Beatty’s Chocolate Cake! This easy olive oil cake is perfectly moist and if you’re a fan of whoopie pies, this is essentially a giant version! Like Ina, Samin uses freshly brewed coffee to bring out the chocolate flavor – great minds! The 8-inch cake is finished with layers of vanilla cream, before being sliced and devoured.
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