Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Caper Sauce & Roasted Veggies
Lent is here, which means fish for dinner on Friday nights. I’ll be honest, fish is something I’m always nervous about cooking simply because I don’t make it often for the Payaso and me. Growing up in Nebraska meant dinner was red meat and potatoes, and it was no different for the Payaso in Mexico (okay, he had beans instead of potatoes). Given we live less than a block from Silver Lake, I should get over my fish apprehensions and cook more of it because the Payaso has dreams of catching our dinner during the fishing season (oh, boy – pray for me).
This pan seared salmon was a cinch to make and the flavors were fresh and vibrant. The biggest challenge with preparing dinner was our cat, Paco. As much as we love our Paco, he’s a complete butthead and he is always getting in trouble. Paco is short for Francis, which is my middle name. You’d think he and I would have a special bond given our common name, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s prone to everything mischievous. In fact, after trying to climb up my legs to see the salmon, running through the kitchen at top speed, and getting cussed out in Spanish by me (aye, pendejo! como chingas vete wey!), he was banished from the kitchen. I later found him in the corner of our living room giving me what I imagine is a cat’s version of side eye. It’s okay, Paco, I still love you.
Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Caper Sauce
Pan Seared Salmon
Ingredients:
- Salmon fillets (approximately 5-6 ounces per person)
- Salt/pepper to taste
- Olive or canola oil for pan
Directions:
- Allow salmon to come to room temperature (5-10 minutes).
- Heat up a few tablespoons of olive or canola oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. You want the oil to get hot, and a great way to make sure the oil is hot enough is to put the end of a wooden spoon in the oil. If small bubbles form around the wood, then the oil is hot enough.
- Salt and pepper the non-skin side of the salmon and add to the pan (the skin side will be up).
- Flip the fish when you see that the fillet is half cooked. The fillet should have a nice crust on it.
- Continue cooking the fillet on the skin side until you see that the fish is cooked throughout. This will take 3-4 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook the fillet.
- Remove from pan and place on plate. Cover with foil while you prepare the lemon caper sauce.
Lemon Caper Sauce
Ingredients:
- Zest of half a lemon
- Juice of a whole lemon
- 1-2 tablespoons capers
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, juice and capers.
- In the same pan you just removed the salmon from, add the lemon zest, juice and capers. This will bubble and reduce quickly.
- Add the butter, stir until the butter is melted and remove pan from heat.
- Spoon sauce over salmon fillets.
Here’s a not so great picture of the salmon once I turned it to cook on the skin side (lesson learned: a hot pan makes condensation on the lens on the camera). You can see that the fish has a great crust on it and the fish has been cooked about half way.
That lemon caper sauce, y’all. Wow, so fresh and tasty. It cooks fast so make sure you give it your undivided attention while you make it (see why Paco was banished from the kitchen?). This will give you an idea of the consistency and sheen the sauce will make once it’s ready.
Roasted vegetables are always welcome in our casa. The great thing about roasted vegetables is that they generally all follow the same recipe. Last night our veggies included broccoli, orange and yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and radishes. Radishes? That’s exactly what the Payaso said when I had him start chopping them. Let me tell you, when they roast they turn into these sweet little nuggets with a hint of an earthy water chestnut. Paired with the sweet peppers and crunchy broccoli they are part of THE perfect bite.
Roasted Veggies
Ingredients:
- Veggies of choice
- Olive or canola oil
- Salt/pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Chop your veggies to a similar shape and place on a foiled lined rimmed sheet pan. Try to place veggies in a single layer to roast rather than steam.
- Drizzle oil on top of veggies. Add salt and pepper. Use hands and combine thoroughly.
- Cook until fork tender (about 30 minutes).
- Optional: Turn oven to broil and broil veggies until slightly charred (this goes fast so keep your eyes on the veggies)
Disclaimer, I added way too many veggies to the sheet pan and our veggies last night were more steamed than roasted. I used the broiler to get some color on the veggies. Either way, they were delicious and a perfect compliment to the salmon and lemon caper sauce. Feel free to play around with adding some spice to the veggies before you roast them. Garlic powder, oregano or basil would all be welcome additions and add a great flavor. I sometimes add lemon zest and/or Parmesan cheese immediately after removing the veggies from the oven. Remember, cooking is meant to be fun. Play around with the flavors you like or come up with new ones. Look in your fridge and use up veggies that are almost past their prime. Roasting veggies is a great way to use up veggies and add some color to your plate.
Buen provecho!
