Nashville Hot Salmon with Crispy Fries

Nashville Hot Salmon with Crispy Fries is a spicy and modern take on the classic Fish and Chips! The sweet and spicy Nashville Hot seasoning that so many have come to love, with a Dill Pickle Ranch dipping sauce, and crispy Fries will hit a craving you didn’t even know you had!

“Nashville Hot” Everything!

The first time I had Nashville Hot, I didn’t even know that it had a name. I just thought it was spicy and sweet chicken. I bought a bottle of the spice mix to take home, and my wife and I put it on everything! Years later, we heard about Nashville Hot chicken.

When we tasted it, we remembered that we had enjoyed it before. We looked at the bottle of spicy seasoning mix we had bought, and right there on the front, at the bottom of the logo, it said: “Nashville Hot Seasoning.”

Since then, I’ve made dozens of spice blends of my own until I came up with one we both loved. We tried it out on our friends and they can’t get enough.

My social media girl couldn’t handle anything spicy, so I was surprised that she took a taste of my Nashville Hot Chicken Wings. And she loved it! We couldn’t believe it! But the sweetness from the brown sugar and the dill pickle along with the spice had her hooked. She even took the leftovers home, LOL!

We still put this on all kinds of foods – fish, vegetables, dips, fries, nachos, and, of course, chicken!

Nashville Hot Salmon with Crispy Fries

My parents used to take me to a fast food restaurant when I was a child called Fish and Chips. Of course, at that age I had no idea that it was a common meal in the UK. Nashville Hot Salmon with Crispy Fries was one of those “Aha!” moments.

I love both of them, but it never hit me to have them together. So this is my modern and spicy take on that classic!

Since dill pickles are typical with Nashville Hot and tartar sauce usually goes with fish, I experimented with sauce variations. It turned out my first one was the best. Thus was born my Dill Pickle Ranch Dipping Sauce. It’s just my basic buttermilk ranch with dill relish.

I also added a glaze for the Salmon, that’s why the photos look so shiny. With Nashville Hot chicken, there is hot sauce in the egg wash. So I add that to the top. I melt some butter, add a little honey (drooling should start) and a little hot sauce. I love how Tabasco tastes with this, so I use that.

Crispy Fries

I have always loved those crispy fries from amusement parks, but I never knew how they made them so crispy. I finally found out that they have a batter on them. The first time I made them, I made the batter just slightly thinner than pancake batter. They came out like battered fish. Not what I was going for.

Since I had the uncooked fries in a bowl of water, the batter thinned. By the time I fried my last batch, they were perfect! Just what I wanted! So I learned a few tricks I want to share.

What Ingredients Are in Nashville Hot Salmon?

Nashville Hot Salmon

• Salmon Fillets, no skin
• Nashville Hot Seasoning (see notes for recipe)
• Butter, melted
• Honey
• Tabasco Sauce

Dill Pickle Ranch Dipping Sauce

• Mayonnaise
• Sour Cream
• Buttermilk
• Garlic Powder
• Dill Pickle Relish
• Salt and Pepper

Crispy Fries

• Canola Oil, for frying
• Russet Potatoes
• Vinegar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Water
• Kosher Salt
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder

How Is Nashville Hot Salmon Made?

1. Heat your oven to 350° F.
2. Use a paper towel to pat dry the salmon fillets. Sprinkle the Nashville Hot seasoning on the tops of the salmon and press it into the fish. Be sure to coat the entire top of each fillet.
3. Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the salmon fillets on the foil and set aside.
4. While cooking the fries, place the salmon in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. As soon as you take the bowl out of the microwave, add the honey and Tabasco Sauce and stir. This will dissolve the honey.
6. When the salmon is finished cooking, remove it from the oven. Using a basting brush, dab the butter mix all over the fillets to completely coat them.

Dill Pickle Ranch Dipping Sauce

My Dill Pickle Ranch Dipping Sauce is a very simple buttermilk ranch dressing with dill pickle relish. Here’s the ingredients with a couple notes:

• Mayonnaise
• Sour Cream
• Buttermilk – you can substitute milk, cream, half-and-half 
• Garlic Powder – I typically use pressed garlic or garlic paste for my dressing, but those add a little bite, that’s why I opted to use garlic powder for this dip. 
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Dill Pickle Relish

This is super easy to make. Just mix the ingredients except the relish. Taste it to make sure you have the seasoning right. After you measure out the relish, press out as much liquid as you can. You can do this with paper towels, a strainer, or whatever else you have on hand. Don’t remove all the liquid, but most of it. Now mix it in with the ranch dressing and stick it in the fridge. Done!

Don’t be surprised, the pickle juice will turn the sauce a yellowish-green color. It’ll last 3-4 days in the fridge, so you can make a double or triple batch if you want to. I use this on fries, shrimp, and even sandwiches.

Crispy Fries

1. First, get a medium to large bowl and fill it with water and some white vinegar. Peeled potatoes turn brown rather quickly, so, as you cut the potatoes into strips, immediately put them in the bowl of water. They will last for hours this way.
2. Heat canola oil in a Dutch oven or sauce pan. If you have a deep fryer, even better. Since these are battered, an air fryer won’t work, unfortunately. Heat the oil to 350º F.
3. Peel and cut the potatoes in 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch strips that are about 2-3 inches long and put them in the bowl of water.
4. Sift the flour, garlic powder, and onion powder in a mixing bowl. Stir in the salt. Start pouring in the water and use a whisk to mix it. You’re looking for a thin mix so that the potatoes will have a thin coating.
5. When you’re ready to begin frying, place some potatoes on a plate with a paper towel. Take another paper towel and pat them to get most of the water off.
6. Dip them in the batter to get them coated. Place them in one at a time so they don’t stick. If they do, take the utensil you are using to remove the fries and try to separate them. If they don’t, don’t worry about it. Cook for about 7 minutes or until they are golden brown.
7. Remove the cooked fries and put them in a metal mixing bowl. Add salt and toss them. You can serve them immediately, or put them on a plate with paper towels or a cooling rack.

Useful Kitchen Tools

I don’t know what I would do without these amazing kitchen tools. I use all of these at least once a week, some I use every day. None of these are sponsors. However, the links below are brands I trust and use regularly. I highly recommend these product to make your life in the kitchen easier.

Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!

Beer Battered Cajun Fish and Chips

Nashville Hot Chicken Wings

One Pan Teriyaki Salmon

Orange Glazed Salmon

Lemon Butter Salmon

5 from 1 vote

Print

Nashville Hot Salmon with Crispy Fries

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword fries, Nashville hot, ranch, salmon

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 26 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Nashville Hot Salmon

• 1 pound Salmon Fillets, no skin (4 pieces)
• 1/4 cup Nashville Hot Seasoning (see notes for recipe)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce

Dill Pickle Ranch Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
• 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Dill Pickle Relish

Crispy Fries

• 2 quarts Canola Oil, for frying
• 1 pound Russet Potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Vinegar
• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 350° F.

2. Fill a bowl with water large enough to hold the cut potatoes. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. This will prevent the cut potatoes from turning brown until you are ready to fry them.

3. Peel the potatoes and cut them in 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch pieces about 2 inches long. Place the cut potatoes in the bowl of water and vinegar.

4. In a Dutch Oven or a 4 quart saucepan, begin heating the canola oil to 350° F.

5. While the oil is heating up, mix the Dill Pickle Ranch Dipping Sauce (instructions below) and get your salmon ready.

6. Use a paper towel to pat dry the salmon fillets. Sprinkle the Nashville Hot seasoning on the tops of the salmon and press it into the fish. Be sure to coat the entire top of each fillet.

7. Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the salmon fillets on the foil and set aside.

8. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour with the garlic powder and onion powder. Add the salt and stir in with the flour. Slowly pour in the water and whisk until the batter is runny. You want it thicker than water, but not as thick as pancake batter.

9. Remove about half of the potatoes from the water and pat them with paper towels to remove most of the water. Dip them in the batter.

10. Carefully add the pieces one at a time to prevent the fries from sticking. Cook for about 6-7 minutes.

11. Remove the fries with a slotted utensil and place them on a plate with a paper towel or on a cooling rack and season them with salt.

12. Repeat the same method with the next batch of potatoes.

    Note: depending on the pot you are using, you may need to cook the fries in more than 2 batches.

13. As soon as you start the second batch of fries, put the salmon in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.

14. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. As soon as you take the bowl out of the microwave, add the honey and Tabasco Sauce and stir. This will dissolve the honey.

15. When the salmon is finished cooking, remove it from the oven. Using a basting brush, dab the butter mix all over the fillets to completely coat them.

Dill Pickle Ranch Dipping Sauce

1. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the dill pickle relish and mix well.

Recipe Notes

Nashville Hot Seasoning

• 2 Tablespoons Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Paprika
• 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar

 

>