Pan seared salmon with this easy saffron sauce is out of this world!
Pan seared salmon with a lightly spiced saffron sauce
The saffron sauce served with this pan seared salmon is so good. I like it because it’s not at all overpowering.
The sauce compliments the delicious flavour of the salmon perfectly.
Tips for the perfect pan seared salmon
- The Skin
There is a lot of moisture in salmon skin, especially when fresh out of the water. If you don’t get that moisture out of the skin, it won’t be crispy when cooked. What a waste!
Crispy salmon skin is one of the best parts of homemade and restaurant style pan seared salmon.
Take a sharp knife and scrape it over the surface of the skin. As you do this, you will see the moisture coming out of it. Repeat this two or three times. This skin should feel as dry as paper.
- Cooking
Although the doneness for this seared salmon recipe is completely up to you, I would like to suggest that you only cook the fish until it is just cooked through. I like mine cooked only until pink in the middle.
Working ahead.
You can get the moisture out of the skin a few hours ahead of cooking and then keep in the fridge until ready to cook.
You can also make the sauce up to a day before serving. So if you’re having friends around for your beautiful seared salmon masterpiece, you can entertain rather than spend the evening cooking.
Fry the onion for about 5 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and ginger paste and ground spices.
Add the wine and reduce until it has almost all evaporated.
The add the stock and reduce by half.
Meanwhile, infuse the saffron in warm milk.
Pound the cheese into a paste. Adding a drop of water will help with this.
Add the cream and cheese to the sauce and stir well to combine.
Reduce again until the cream sauce is quite thick.
Add the saffron milk and continue simmering for a couple of minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce.
Add the green peppercorns (if using) just before plating.
Dig in!
If you like the look of this pan seared salmon recipe, you might also like to try these.
Salmon Curry with Broccoli and Coconut
Thai Steamed Salmon
Tandoori Salmon Tikka
Salmon Fillet Steamed in Banana Leaf
Steamed Salmon with Soy Sauce and Chilli
Pan Seared Salmon With A Creamy Saffron Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 x 200g salmon fillets
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil or vegetable oil
- FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small white onion - finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste (Equal amounts of garlic and ginger smashed into a paste)
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powde
- A pinch of saffron infused with about 100ml warm milk125ml (1/2 cup) fish stock or water if you must
- 120ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine
- 1 tbsp Cheddar cheese smashed into a paste
- 70ml Double cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Juice of one lime
- 3 tablespoons chopped coriander to garnish
Instructions
- Heat one tablespoon of the butter over low heat in a frying pan.
- Add the chopped onions and fry slowly for about ten minutes until the onion is soft and caramelised.
- Add the garlic and ginger paste and stir well to combine.
- Now add the cumin and red chilli powder followed by the white wine.
- Turn the heat up and cook the wine until all of it has almost evaporated.
- Add the fish stock and reduce by half. Add the cream and again cook it down by about half.
- Pour in the saffron infused milk and the Cheddar cheese.
- Whisk it all into one creamy sauce and set aside while you cook the salmon.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.
- When the oil is nice and hot, carefully place the salmon fillets into the pan - skin side down.
- Fry until the salmon is about half way cooked through. You will be able to see the cooking progress as it cooks.
- Carefully flip the salmon over to continue cooking to your referred doneness. I like mine pink inside.
- To serve, place each piece of salmon onto four heated plates.
- Ensure the sauce is nice and hot and then squeeze in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve the fish with the sauce drizzled over and around it.
Tracy Nixon
Tuesday 10th of February 2015
This was delicious thank you!