Description
Quick and elegant Mediterranean salmon skillet delivers complex flavors with minimal effort. Fresh herbs, tangy olives, and zesty lemon create a restaurant-quality meal you can easily prepare at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lb (907 g) salmon fillets
- 1.5 cups (355 ml) cooked jasmine rice
- 15 oz (425 g) chickpeas, canned, drained
- 6 oz (170 g) feta cheese, diced into small cubes
- 6 oz (170 g) cherry tomatoes (2 colors), sliced in half
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) kalamata olives, sliced
- ¼ cup (60 ml) green olives, sliced
- 4 tbsps (60 ml) olive oil
- 4 tbsps (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp dried oregano (or more to taste)
- 2 tbsps chopped fresh oregano (optional)
- Fresh oregano for garnish
Instructions
- Preparation: Warm a spacious, deep-sided skillet over moderate heat, ensuring even temperature distribution for optimal cooking.
- Seasoning: Coat salmon fillets with a robust blend of smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried parsley, red chili flakes, and kosher salt, massaging with olive oil to create a uniform spice layer.
- Initial Cooking: Introduce olive oil to the skillet and carefully place salmon fillets skin side up, searing on medium-high heat for 4 minutes without movement to develop a golden crust.
- Fillet Transformation: Rotate salmon to skin side down, reduce heat to medium, and continue cooking for 5 minutes until fish is perfectly cooked and slightly caramelized.
- Skillet Transformation: Remove salmon from the pan, delicately separating flesh from skin, and set aside while maintaining its integrity.
- Rice Medley: In the same skillet, combine rice, chickpeas, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced kalamata olives, integrating fresh lemon juice to enhance flavor profiles.
- Feta Fusion: Create a vibrant feta mixture by blending crumbled feta cheese, olive oil, additional lemon juice, and a sprinkle of dried and fresh oregano until thoroughly combined.
- Final Assembly: Fold half the feta mixture into the rice blend, gently reintroduce salmon, and carefully incorporate all ingredients to create a harmonious Mediterranean-inspired dish.
- Presentation: Crown the skillet with remaining feta mixture and garnish with fresh oregano leaves, transforming the meal into a visually stunning and aromatic culinary experience.
Notes
- Optimize Spice Coating: Thoroughly massage salmon with spices to ensure deep, even flavor penetration and maximum taste absorption.
- Control Cooking Temperature: Maintain precise heat levels to achieve perfectly golden salmon without overcooking, preventing dry or rubbery texture.
- Strategic Skillet Technique: Use same pan for multiple cooking stages to preserve and layer complex Mediterranean flavor profiles throughout the dish.
- Feta Fusion Tip: Blend feta mixture separately, then integrate gradually to create creamy, tangy undertones that complement the salmon’s richness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg