I always enjoy salmon, but I can get into kind of a rut with it. I seem to prepare it the same 2 or 3 ways, time after time. Recently I decided to shake it up – just a little bit.
Over the years I have come to realize that some of my most creative cooking ideas have come from just standing in front of the open refrigerator (thank goodness Mom can’t read this) and playing with whatever ingredients I have on-hand. I wish I could say that this dish took time to contemplate, compare and contrast various flavor profiles to come up with the perfect combination, but no. This arose strictly from being too lazy to run to the store and pick up anything else.
And I cannot stress this enough: a well-stocked pantry can save almost any dinner situation. My friends mock me for the variety of items I consider ‘staples’. Most people stop at flour, sugar, and butter. I also keep 3 kinds of rice, quinoa, barley, cornmeal, sundried tomatoes, olives, pumpkin, 6 kinds of vinegars, 3 kinds of mustard, …well, you get the picture. And if you don’t have enough space to store all of these ingredients, then I also happen to know a great kitchen designer who can solve that problem for you. Some simple storage accessories will work wonders for your pantry!
The best part – this dish is incredibly easy and takes about 15 minutes to put together. Seriously, the vegetables took longer to cook than the salmon did. Of course, we like out salmon medium to medium-rare. If you like yours more well-done, you might take 20 minutes instead.
So consider adding to your pantry list, it’s always handy to be prepared.
Pan Seared Salmon with Orange Dill Reduction
A quick and easy weeknight meal that looks like it took a lot of effort. Want to impress your family and friends? Then make this dish.
- 2 T olive oil
- 4 salmon filets (4-6 oz. each)
- Juice of 1 orange (approx. ½ C)
- 2 T chopped fresh dill
- 2 scallions (chopped)
- ¼ C sour cream
- 1 t white wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Preheat 10″ non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Salt and pepper salmon filets.
- Add olive oil to preheated pan and add salmon filets, flesh-side down.
- Sear for 3 minutes, flip, and sauté for 3-4 more minutes.
- Remove salmon from pan and cover with foil.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add orange juice, dill, and scallions.
- Reduce orange juice by half (3-4 minutes).
- Stir in sour cream and white wine vinegar.
- Remove from heat.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- So serve, spoon 1-2 tablespoons of orange reduction over each salmon filet.
- Garnish with sprig of fresh dill, if desired.