Seriously, if you haven’t figured it out already- I love a great salmon dish. Admittedly, I tend to take the easy way out when I cooked salmon in the past but only baking the salmon in the oven. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s painless. But this wouldn’t be a blog about adventures in the kitchen if I didn’t try to cook things that challenge me which is what this post is all about! Pan searing salmon may seem simple to the experienced chef but this is new territory for me and now I’m obsessed with making the perfect pan-seared salmon. That’s the inspiration for today’s featured recipe, Pan Seared Salmon with Mango Salsa.
I have tried to pan sear salmon a handful of times with both success and failure. The first time I tried my hand at pan searing was a disaster. The skin stuck to my pan so bad, I’m sure this dish could have qualified as the ugliest salmon dish ever made. The flavor was good- it was drenched in a honey and soy sauce, but boy was it ugly!. I definitely underestimated how complex pan searing could be. I think it comes down to the tools and techniques I was using at the time.
Upon some research, I found a technique that actually worked. I made a beautiful pan-seared salmon fillet that I topped with mango salsa, this exact recipe. I had spent the whole day trying to find the best way to sear the salmon with the skin intact and I finally did it!Maybe the fish was a little saltier than I had hoped for but, it was still a delight! I was on top of the world for a night! Unfortunately, the only picture I took was the final product, but isn’t it lovely?!
Truth moment, when I finally made this recipe, it didn’t go as well as the second time. It must have been beginners luck or different pans and tongs, but the skin came pretty clean off the backs of these fillets. Oops! But on the bring side, the fillets were still beautiful on the other side and tasted less salty than before! That’s a small victory. The mango salsa was actually a pleasant surprise! My mangos were ripe and the jalapeno gave the salsa a perfect kick to compliment the sweetness. I’m going to continue to practice my pan searing skills, so look forward to more salmon dishes on the blog in the future!
Pan Seared Salmon with Mango Salsa
What You Need:
For the Salmon:
- 4 (6 to 8oz) skin on salmon fillets
- Kosher Salt
- Pepper
For the Mango Salsa:
- 3 ripe mangos, diced or chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 chopped small red onion
- ¼ cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
Instructions:
Click here to Cook With Me!
For the Mango Salsa:
- In a serving bowl, combine the prepared mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño.
- Drizzle with lime juice and mix well.
- Season to taste with salt. For best flavor, let the salsa rest for 10 minutes or longer.
- Serve over salmon fillets and enjoy!
For the Salmon:
- Dissolve 1/2 cup salt in 2 quarts water in large container.
- Submerge salmon in brine and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Remove salmon from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle bottom of 12-inch nonstick skillet evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Place fillets, skin side down, in skillet and sprinkle tops of fillets with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat and cook fillets without moving them until fat begins to render, skin begins to brown, and bottom 1/4 inch of fillets turn opaque about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Using tongs, flip fillets and continue to cook without moving them until centers are still translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes longer.
- Transfer fillets skin side down to serving platter and allow the salmon to rest for 5 minutes.
- Top with mango salsa and enjoy!
Cook With Me:
For the Mango Salsa:
- In a serving bowl, combine the prepared mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño.
- Drizzle with lime juice and mix well.
- Season to taste with salt. For best flavor, let the salsa rest for 10 minutes or longer.
- Serve over salmon fillets and enjoy!
Inspired by this recipe.
For the Salmon:
- Dissolve 1/2 cup salt in 2 quarts water in large container.
- Submerge salmon in brine and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Remove salmon from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle bottom of 12-inch nonstick skillet evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Place fillets, skin side down, in skillet and sprinkle tops of fillets with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat and cook fillets without moving them until fat begins to render, skin begins to brown, and bottom 1/4 inch of fillets turn opaque about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Using tongs, flip fillets and continue to cook without moving them until centers are still translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes longer. ( I think I didn’t dry the salmon long enough, that’s why the skin stuck but at least the fillets were still in tact!)
- Transfer fillets skin side down to serving platter and allow the salmon to rest for 5 minutes.
- Top with mango salsa and enjoy!
Inspired by this recipe.
DCdishes 