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pan seared salmon with salsa verde

Lemon-Herb Crusted Salmon with Salsa Verde

Estee
Juicy pan-seared salmon fillets with a lemony-herb crust and finished with fresh salsa verde.
5 from 4 votes
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Cook Time 10 mins
Course fish
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • cast iron skillet, or ideally another dish that is stovetop to oven safe.

Ingredients
  

  • 4 salmon fillets, rinsed and dried skin on or off(i leave the skin off but keep the fat)
  • sprinkle salt and pepper
  • 1/2 TBS olive oil
  • 1/2 small lemon(zest it first)
  • extra olive oil, to drizzle

Herb Crust

  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1/4 cup matza meal
  • 1 tsp lemon zest

Salsa Verde

  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 tsp oregano, fresh or dried
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 4 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 TBS olive oil

Instructions
 

Sear

  • Season salmon fillets on both sides with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Heat 1/2 Tablespoon-1 Tablespoon oil(depending on the size of your pan), in a cast iron skillet. When the pan is smoking hot, add the salmon fat/skin side down and let sear for 3 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets and sear the second side for 2 minutes. The inside will still be raw, it will finish in the oven. Remove the fillets to a plate to cool and pour excess oil from the pan, leaving a tad on the pan.
  • Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Herb Crust

  • To the bowl of a food processor, add cilantro, parsley, rosemary, thyme, matza meal, and lemon zest. Blend until fine crumbs form.
  • Press the herb crust onto all sides of the salmon fillets, working carefully to keep the fillets whole. Return to the skillet with the now-covered fat side up. Add a couple slices of lemon around the salmon, squeeze over the juice of half a lemon, and drizzle the tops of the fillets with olive oil.
  • Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Salsa Verde

  • While the salmon is finishing in the oven, prepare the salsa.
    Finely chop the cilantro and fresh oregano(if using fresh). Mince or crush the garlic. Add to a small bowl with the lemon juice and pepper flakes, and drizzle in the olive oil. Mix to combine.

Finish

  • Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. You can serve the dish directly in the skillet, or move to a serving plate. Either way, flip the salmon onto your desired dish so the fat side is now down. The underside of the salmon will have crisped up in the oven and will be a beautiful golden color. Arrange the lemon slices around the salmon. Right before serving, spoon salsa verde onto the top of each salmon fillet and use the back of the spoon to spread it over the fillets. Enjoy hot!