Simple Seared Salmon with Pickled Cucumber, Ginger, and Apple Salad
This post is a two for one with my go to quick and easy salmon recipe and another for a fun and unique cucumber salad. The two together make for a perfect, lighter meal in the summer when you don’t want to eat heavily or spend too much time in a hot kitchen. Best of all, the meal is satisfying and comes together in about 30 minutes, so it works well for a busy week night or when you’re just feeling lazy.
This salmon recipe is honestly so easy and so good that it holds a regular spot on our weekly dinner rotation. Here I call for a pound of fish, but you can easily modify the amount depending upon your own needs. The most important things to remember are to put the fish skin-side-up into the hot pan; do not be tempted to put the salmon in beforehand, or you will not get that nice caramelization on the top. The second thing to watch for is bake time which will vary depending on the size and thickness of your salmon. With a thinner piece of fish I usually only bake it for 4 minutes, but with thicker cuts, it can stay in the oven for up to 8 minutes. The best way to know that the fish is done is when the top has cracked slightly and the interior, while still juicy, is no longer translucent. If you’re cooking two pieces of fish with different thicknesses, don’t be afraid to plate the thinner piece, and pop the thicker one back into the oven for a few more minutes. Finally, make sure to use the same, oven-safe fry pan, for the entire cooking process. Using the already hot and seasoned pan ensures a quick and even cook with maximum flavors, but make sure the pan is meant for ovens. I don’t want anybody melting plastic handles and ruining their pans!
As for this cucumber salad, it’s a bit of a mashup between one my Hungarian grandmother always prepared and a recipe from the amazing chef Yotam Ottolenghi. I riffed on the flavors from a noodle salad in his cookbook Ottolenghi Simple, and I am happy to give him the credit for the combination! Cucumber, green apple, red pepper, pickled red onion, ginger, tarragon, mint, and poppyseed might sound crazy, but it’s actually a really delicious layering of flavors and textures. Plus it’s vegan, gluten free, grain free, and all things code word for healthy and feel good! I will say that poppyseed is an acquired flavor and texture, so if it’s not your thing, feel free to leave it off; the salad will still be great!
For preparing the salad, you can make the pickled onions and ginger a few hours in advance if you’d like, and you can even assemble the entire salad early. Just wait to add the fresh herbs until right before serving to avoid browning. Also, take care to slice your ginger very thinly, so it doesn’t overpower the other flavors in the salad.
Pickled Cucumber, Ginger, and Apple Salad - Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1/4 apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 TBS. sugar
2 TBS. olive oil
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2in knob of ginger root, peeled and very finely julienned
1 large unpeeled English cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into long, thin strips
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 green apple, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
3/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, torn
1 TBS. poppy seeds (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Pickle the cucumber and onions. Whisk together the vinegar and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the ginger and onion, and set aside for 30 minutes (or more) while you prepare the other ingredients/do other fun things.
After the ginger and onions have pickled, toss together the cucumber, bell pepper, apple, and olive oil. Add the pickles and their juices and the poppy seeds. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Right before serving, toss in the fresh herbs and enjoy immediately.
Simple Seared Salmon - Serves 3-4
Equipment:
Large oven-safe fry pan
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh (not previously frozen) salmon, skin on
Olive oil
Sunny Paris Seasoning (optional but highly recommended)
Salt & Pepper
Lemon slices for garnish
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Rinse the salmon and pat dry well with paper towels. Drizzle a little olive oil over the salmon, and with your hands rub it evenly onto both sides of the fish. Then season the flesh side of the fish with salt, pepper, and Sunny Paris seasoning. You don’t need to be exact, just make sure to evenly season the entire fish.
Drizzle a little olive oil in the pan (approximately 2tsp.) and heat it over medium high heat until the pan is nice and hot (about 3 minutes). Place the salmon skin-side-up in the pan and sear for 4 minutes. Flip the salmon with a spatula so it’s skin-side-down in the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 4-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish and your cooking preference. Serve immediately garnished with lemon slices. (You can remove the skin easily after cooking and before serving if you would like).
Pickled Cucumber Salad recipe adapted from Ottolenghi Simple: A Cookbook
