Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- Lemon wedges optional
Tomato Salsa:
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 onion peeled and diced
- Black olives – chopped
- Green Olives – chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rub the salmon fillets on both sides with olive oil and then sprinkle with seasoning salt.
- Place salmon in a hot grill pan, and cook for 4 minutes, or until golden underneath.
- Use a slotted spatula to turn salmon over, then cook the fillets for 2 to 3 more minutes, or until just cooked through.
- Remove salmon from heat, let rest for 30 seconds and sprinkle with a good squeeze of lemon juice, if desired.
How to cook salmon in a frying pan
When searing salmon, the best pans to use are large stainless steel pans or cast iron skillets. Avoid overcrowding while cooking, working in batches if you need too. Cook on a hot surface, as mentioned above, adding salmon fillets flesh side down, while pressing them lightly so the entire surface of the flesh comes into contact with the pan. Sear, undisturbed, for about 4 minutes until crispy and golden, before flipping.
How to know when salmon is ready
The changing of colours that happens while cooking salmon is the biggest indicator to know when your fillets are ready. Starting where the fillet touches the pan, the colour will slowly change along the sides of the fillets and slowly work its way up from a deep pink to a paler pink colour.
When the colour has changed up to about three-quarters of the fillet, flip! It will only need 2-3 extra minutes after flipping as the bulk of cooking has already been done. You will end up with a flaky, tender seared salmon fillet, cooked perfectly medium, with deliciously crisp outer edges!
Tomato and olive salsa
- To make the salsa, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and fry over medium heat until softened but not coloured.
- Stir in the tomatoes and olives and warm through for one minute.
- Remove from the heat, add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
To serve, divide the salmon fillets between 2 plates and top with the tomato salsa.
Red wine and fish
You may have always heard to never drink red wine with fish, but that’s not always the case. Sure, with many red wines, the high tannin content makes the bites of fish taste like metal. Some red wines can be paired with specific types of fish, and actually, strengthen the tastes from both the wine and the fish.
One such versatile red wine is Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a light-bodied red wine that is not as robust as many other varieties of red wine are. Its lower amounts of tannins contribute to the idea that you can pair it with lighter foods such as seafood. In fact, some say that Pinot Noir can be paired with almost anything. For fish, it’s best to go with a freshwater fish like salmon or trout that has dense, meaty flesh.
Most pasta dishes that incorporate fish into them would work well with a Pinot Noir too. With the right fish, the more complex flavours of a good Pinot Noir can be brought out resembling vanilla, clove, liquorice and caramel.
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