RecipeFix original

Pan-Seared Salmon with Cucumber Salsa

25 minutes · serves 2 · Gluten-Free · Dairy-Free · Nut-Free · Halal · Paleo · Whole30

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Ingredients

For the salsa

• 1/2 English cucumber, finely diced
• 1 ripe tomato, seeded and finely diced
• 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• 1 lemon
• Pinch of kosher salt

For the salmon

• 2 skin-on salmon fillets (5 to 6 oz each, about 1 inch thick)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups baby spinach

Method

Make the salsa

1. Stir together the cucumber, tomato, red onion and dill in a bowl. Cut the lemon in half, squeeze in the juice of one half, add the pinch of salt and toss. Cut the other half into wedges for serving.
2. Leave the salsa to stand while you cook the salmon, so the salt draws out a little juice and the flavors blend. Drain off any liquid that pools before serving.

Cook the salmon

1. Pat the salmon very dry with paper towels, especially the skin, and season both sides with the salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay the fillets in skin-side down and press each one gently with a spatula for the first 10 seconds so the skin stays flat against the pan.
3. Cook without moving the fillets for 5 to 6 minutes, until the skin is crisp and releases easily and the flesh has turned opaque about three-quarters of the way up the sides.
4. Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the center just flakes when pressed and an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F (63°C). Move the salmon to a plate, skin-side up so the skin stays crisp.

Finish

1. Lower the heat to medium, add the spinach to the pan and toss for 30 to 60 seconds, just until wilted.
2. Divide the spinach between two plates, set the salmon on top skin-side up, and spoon the salsa alongside. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Cook's notes

• Skinless fillets work too. Sear the rounded side first for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Arctic char or steelhead trout fillets cook the same way.
• The salsa is best the day it is made; the cucumber softens and weeps as it sits.

RecipeFix originals are written as practical home recipes and editorially reviewed for internal consistency. They are not described as kitchen-tested. Nutrition is not shown unless it is calculated from the final recipe.