Easy Crispy Skin Salmon
- Isabel S.
- Apr 24, 2018
- 3 min read
Salmon is by far my favorite fish. It's flavorful, versatile, and packed with nutrients! What's not to love? There are so many different ways to prepare salmon...Grilled on a cedar plank, foil packet, and my most recent obsession, in a cast iron skillet. I used to be intimidated by this method because I didn't know how to use my cast iron correctly. Now that I know the secret it's super easy. The trick is to get your cast iron nice and hot but don't ever heat it on high heat. For this meal, I cooked some veggies in the skillet before adding the salmon but if you're just cooking the salmon let the skillet heat on medium/medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes before adding the fish. You want it to sizzle when you touch the fish to the pan.
A couple recipes back, you'll see my roasted fennel and carrots recipe. I used that same recipe but instead of baking it on a sheet pan I cooked the veggies in my cast iron for about 20 minutes before adding the salmon. This makes this meal a one pan wonder. Perfect for a fancy lunch, quick dinner, or meal prep. You can also use other vegetables like cherry tomatoes and asparagus. Just adjust your cooking time depending on what veggies you're using. For example, tomatoes don't need to be cooked before adding the salmon since they cook so fast. This recipe is really about the salmon. I want to show you how to cook salmon fast! If you leave out the veggies you could cook this salmon in 10 minutes and eat it with a salad. So fast and easy but still delicious and healthy!
You can use any spices you want for salmon. Sometimes I just use salt and pepper. Lemon pepper with fresh lemon, dill, garlic powder, and salt is also a great combo. Since I made this with the roasted fennel and carrots I used similar spices and herbs used on the vaggies. Mint might seem like a weird herb to use but trust me, it's good! Would you like more recipes for salmon using different spice/veggie combos? If so send me an email!
Ingredients
Makes 2 servings
Fennel & Carrots
1 large fennel bulb
3-4 large carrots
1/4 large purple onion
4 garlic cloves
Sea salt- to taste
1/2-1 TBSP garlic powder
1/2 TBSP smoked paprika
A pinch of black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste
Olive oil
Fronds from tops of fennel bulb
Fresh mint leaves
Salmon
2 pieces of salmon
Sea Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Cayene pepper
Smoked paprika
Olive oil
Directions
Takes about 25 mins
Cut fennel and carrots into strips and add to heated/oiled cast iron skillet. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and add spices to taste, remembering you can add more seasoning if needed but you can't take away. Give it a good stir to combine and cover.
Cook covered in an even layer for about 15-20 mins stirring occasionally. If veggies start to stick, turn down the heat slightly and add a little more oil. (if you don't have a lid to cover use tin foil.)
Prepare salmon by seasoning with about 1/4 tsp sea salt, a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper and smoked paprika.
When carrots are soft add rough chopped purple onion and chopped garlic (I don't mince the garlic for this recipe) and stir to combine. Push veg to the side to create a place to put the salmon.
Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the exposed pan and place salmon skin side up. Season the skin with about 1/4 tsp salt and pepper.
Cook for 2-3 minutes then flip carefully to the skin side. If the pan looks dry add a little more olive oil before putting the salmon skin side down.
Cook on medium/ medium-high heat about 6-7 minutes depending on how thick your salmon is and how much you like it cooked. 6 minutes left the thickest part of my salmon pink and lightly cooked. 7 or 8 minutes will get it to more of a medium well cook.
Sprinkle chopped mint and fennel fronds on top of veggies and salmon.
Serve hot with a side of rice!
Kommentare