Seared Sockeye Salmon with Green Adobo Sauce and Frisée Salad
Crispy seared sockeye salmon with green chile adobo sauce and a simple frisée salad. This elegant, healthy main course can be prepared in less than 45 minutes!
Ingredients
Frisée Salad:
- 2 heads of frisée curly endive
- ¼ small red onion very thinly sliced
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- ½ juicy lime for squeezing
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Salmon and Assembly:
- 1 batch green chile adobo sauce for serving
- 4 (6-oz) skin-on wild Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- avocado oil or other high smoke-point oil, for cooking
- fresh micro greens for garnishing (optional)
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- For the Salad: Fill a large, wide mixing bowl with ice and cold water. Submerge the heads of frisée, stem side up, in the ice water. Gently shake the frisée in the water, holding the stems with one hand to clean (any dirt or sand should sink to the bottom of the bowl). Allow the frisée to sit in the ice bath for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the remaining salad ingredients and salmon. The cold ice water will refresh and re-crisp the leaves of the frisée.
- Remove the frisée from the ice bath. Shave and discard any very dark green frisée leaves with a chef’s knife. Remove the stem of the frisée and gently break the frisée into small pieces. Spin dry in a salad spinner and place in a clean, medium mixing bowl. Add the red onion to the bowl and set aside.
- Just before serving, drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lime juice, and toss gently until lightly dressed. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper, and toss again.
- For the Salmon and Assembly: Pat the salmon fillets dry (on both sides) with paper towels, and season with kosher salt. Preheat a large stainless steel skillet set over medium-high heat, and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of avocado oil (or another high smoke-point cooking oil). Once the oil is shimmering, gently place the salmon fillets, skin-side down, in the skillet away from you and cook until the skin has rendered and is crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes (time will vary depending on the thickness of your salmon fillets). In the first few minutes of cooking, press the fillets down in the pan with a heatproof spatula – this will prevent the salmon skin from curling as it cooks.
- Flip the salmon fillets and continue cooking until the flesh is slightly opaque in the center, and an instant thermometer inserted in center of fillets reads between 120°F – 130°F. Sockeye salmon dries out more easily than other varieties of wild salmon, and is best served medium-rare. Transfer the salmon to a paper-towel lined plate and allow to rest as you assemble the plates.
- Place a large spoonful of green chile adobo sauce onto the edge of each plate. Using the tip of the back of a spoon, press into the middle of the sauce and drag the spoon out in an arc to create a ‘swoosh’ pattern. Distribute the salad onto the plates and top with a salmon fillet, placing crispy skin side up. Garnish with micro greens (optional) and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.
Tips for Success:
- Copper River wild sockeye salmon is harvested between the months of May and August, and is available seasonally at Whole Foods and other quality fish retailers. Search and find local retailers close to you by clicking here.
- If you are looking to bulk this recipe up, I highly recommend adding chunks of fresh, ripe avocado to the frisée salad before tossing.
- Prepare the green chile adobo sauce in advance to reduce prep time, and don’t forget to serve the salmon crispy skin-side up!
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 251kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 459mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 2g