Dinner, Recipes

Pan-Seared Salmon

This Pan-Seared Salmon is tender salmon fillets coated in a delicious Cranberry-Orange Sauce. A super easy dinner option that can be on the table in less than 20 minutes!

Another quick and easy dinner coming at you! It’s what we need. Am I right? The holiday season is busy and in-between work and all the holiday get-togethers the last thing people want to do is cook an elaborate dinner. Add this to your list of easy go-to dinners.

Seafood in general cooks quickly and is a great option to have for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Not to mention adding seafood to your diet twice a week is recommended by the American Heart Association to help improve our omega-3 levels and reduce our risk for cardiovascular risk. This small shift in our eating patterns could put us on a path to improve our heart health. Seafood is one of the major sources of healthful omega-3 fats. Additionally, it is also rich in vitamin D, selenium, protein, and low in saturated fat. There is strong evidence that eating fish is good for our heart and blood vessels! Have I convinced you to include more seafood in your diet?

Pan-searing salmon is one of the easiest ways to prepare salmon. This method helps to keep the moisture locked in and prevent it from drying out. Use salmon with the skin-on as it helps prevent it from not falling apart, not to mention is also creates a crispy skin that literally helps the salmon flake right off. Using the stove-top to prepare the salmon clears up the oven to allow for roasted veggies. Win win for dinner in a hurry!

Ingredients – Pan-Seared Salmon

Salmon – My recommendation is to purchase the salmon you prefer. I choose to use the farm-raised as it’s less ‘fishy’ in taste. Wild is definitely gamey in taste (for me) and rather than not eat seafood, I’m able to use farm-raised and enjoy the flavor. Eating seafood is more important than not if it comes down to farm-raised vs wild.
Grapeseed oil – Use a neutral oil here that allows a high-smoke point as you’ll be cooking the salmon at a higher heat. You could use butter if you prefer, but I opted to use just an oil to avoid extra saturated fat (if/when I’m able to).
Cranberries – This time of year cranberries are in season and great to use fresh. While cranberries are something people either love or hate, I love using seasonal fruits and veggies when I can. This dish could be as simple as a lemon butter sauce, but I went a bit fancy and made a nice fruit topping.
Balsamic Vinegar – At first I was going to reduce the balsamic vinegar and create a glaze, instead I went for more of a sauce then glaze.
Orange Juice – Pairs well with the cranberry flavor, similar to my Cranberry Sauce recipe. Use the juice from an orange vs buying orange juice.
Orange Marmalade – Using a jam/jelly here for a little added sugar. Since the cranberries are as tart as they are, you do want a smidge of sweet to offset that. You can stick with the same orange flavor, however, try to use what you have on hand. Apple or fig would go along with the cranberries as well.
Rosemary – Currently I have parsley and rosemary growing in my yard and aim to use them whenever I can. Thyme, rosemary, and sage all would work well here. Adding herbs is a great way to enhance flavor, but is optional (if it means buying and then finding you’re not using the remaining herbs).

How To Prepare Pan-Seared Salmon

Make sure your salmon is about the same size. I buy the salmon fillets already cut at the seafood counter. Dry the salmon and make sure all the moisture is gone.
Season the salmon with pepper. Any time I can omit salt, I do. There are so many other ways to provide flavor without adding sodium
Heat oil in a non-stick pan or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until hot.
Cook salmon flesh side down, cooking undisturbed, about 5 minutes.
Carefully flip the salmon and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until fish is opaque and easily flakes. Transfer to a plate.
Add onion and cranberries to the same pan and sauté until the cranberries start to pop, about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, orange zest and juice, and jam/jelly of your choice and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Garnish with rosemary (or herb of choice) and drizzle the sauce over each filet. Serve with a baked potato and salad or roasted veggie.