Barbecue sauce, especially a spicy one, may seem an unusual pairing for fish, but the richness of salmon not only stands up to the heat, it actually is enhanced by the flavor of the sauce.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　2 pints cherry tomatoes, preferably Sunburst, halved

　　Kosher salt

　　1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce (page 247), or to taste, warmed

　　4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless center-cut salmon fillets, patted dry

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　Extra-virgin olive oil

　　Fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°F.

　　

Step 2

Arrange the tomatoes, cut sides up, in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little kosher salt all over. Bake until the tomatoes have concentrated their flavor (the skins will wrinkle a little) but are not dry, about 30 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl and add the sauce. Gently toss until the tomatoes are evenly coated, adding more sauce if you like. Let stand for 15 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Heat your grill or a grill pan to medium-high.

　　

Step 5

Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper, then drizzle a little oil all over. Put on the grill, flat side down, and cook until the flesh releases easily from the grill grate, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until a thin-bladed knife slides through the side of the fish against the grain with no resistance, about 2 minutes longer.

　　

Step 6

Transfer the salmon to plates, spoon the sauce over the salmon, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and serve.

　　

c’est bon

Step 7

To concentrate the flavor of your tomatoes, you can use the technique above or, if you have a gas oven, you can put the tray of tomatoes in the oven overnight. Leave the oven off; the heat from the pilot light alone will have the same effect.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.