This seared salmon is one of my go-to recipes when I’m short on time but want a winner in the kitchen. It’s a simple yet elegant dish that takes only 15 minutes from pan to plate. Not only that, but it’s how salmon is commonly made in restaurants, so it impresses every time. Searing is more of a technique than a recipe, but I wanted to do one anyway so you can master it at home. Serve this recipe with roasted Brussels sprouts and rice pilaf for a complete and easy dinner.
Buying Salmon
Whether you prefer wild-caught or farm-raised, always choose shiny pieces with a mild sea aroma and bypass any that are dull-looking with a fishy smell. Always buy cuts that are the same size and thickness so that they all cook evenly together.
How to Sear Salmon
Remove the Salmon Fillets from the fridge 20-30 minutes before you plan to cook them and pat them with paper towels. Season the salmon filets on both sides with salt and pepper. You want to season right before cooking as a seasoning too early will begin breaking down the proteins in the fish and remove moisture. Add the oil to the pan and preheat the pan over high heat until the oil shimmers and starts to smoke slightly. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the salmon to the pan. If you are using fillets with the skin on, and you want to eat the skin, start with the salmon skin side down. If you plan to remove the skin. start with the flash side down. Gently press them down for a few seconds with a fish spatula to allow good contact with the hot pan (this will also stop the skin from curling). Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Resist the impulse to move the fillets as they cook. Letting them sear undisturbed in the hot oil creates that flavorful, golden crust that makes this dish restaurant-quality. Cook the fillets about 90% of the way on the first side. The fillet will naturally release from the pan when they are ready to turn (which takes about 3 minutes for room temperature fillets). The flesh should turn from translucent pink to an opaque white up the sides and will creep up to the top (see the image above). After that, you can flip and cook the fish the rest of the way. Cooking time will depend on thickness. You want to cook until it’s brown on the outside and pink in the center with an internal temperature of 125°F (52°C) to 130°F (54°C) in the middle. Allow resting for 5 minutes before serving. Finish your seared salmon with a tab of butter and a squeeze of lemon. Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
