Pan Roasted Salmon with Tomato & Feta Salad
I rarely get to cook salmon at home. I could eat it every night if that was an option, but the old ball and chain hates it. So when work had him away overnight, I jumped at the chance to make this dish for my daughter and I. Luckily she really enjoys most fish, so smiles were all around with this meal. I’ve never been able to master grilling salmon. If anyone has a trick to keep it from sticking to the grill, please send it along. I know the rules of cleaning and oiling the hot grill… then rubbing the fish with oil and when you put it on the grill leave it alone. I fight my desire to move it around, but invariably it sticks. Not pretty. This pan roasting technique is fairly infallible. A quick sear on one side, flip it over and throw the whole pan in the oven to finish cooking.
I had some whole wheat pita in the house, so we went the Greek route with this meal. I love to chop up lots of tomatoes and herbs, and mix it with crumbled feta. The tomatoes release their juices and it all comes together as a nice little topping for the salmon. Put the whole thing in a warm pita with some hummus and you’ve got a really great dinner.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALMON
- Fresh salmon fillets, skin removed
- Drizzle olive oil
- Kosher salt & pepper
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Rub the salmon fillets all over with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Place the salmon skin side up in the pan. Restrain yourself and don’t touch it. Let it sear for about 3 minutes. The fish will start to release itself. Flip it over, it should be nicely browned. Place the whole pan in the preheated oven for another 5-7 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. That’s it.
INGREDIENTS FOR TOMATO & FETA SALAD (Makes 2 1/2-3 cups)
- 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt & pepper to taste
- Hearty drizzle of olive oil
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss together with enough olive oil to coat. Set aside for 15min in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to come together. Enjoy!
*If my daughter wasn’t eating this, I’d add about a 1/4 cup of chopped kalamata olives. She hates olives, what can I do? You can also serve this tomato salad as a starter with some olives and bread.
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