Pan Roasted Salmon with Tomato Vinaigrette

This unassuming Pan Roasted Salmon is a very simple, incredibly delicious dish. It’s the ultimate weeknight dinner since it only takes 20 minutes to make.

Tomatoes are at peak season right now and I love their sweet, tart, juicy flavor.  They are super healthy because of their high lycopene content.  Lycopene studies show it benefits our heart, blood pressure, prostate, bones and skin.

Since I have lots of sweet grape tomatoes coming out of my garden, I’ve come up with a few new recipes for them.

Here I sautéed the grape tomatoes with capers, shallot and cumin, then spooned the bright, chunky sauce over crisp salmon fillets. It’s all made in one pan for easy clean up.

Start by cutting the grape tomatoes in half and mixing them together with shallot, capers and red wine vinegar. Let that sit while you cook the salmon.

Heat a cast iron pan, or heavy saute pan on medium high.  Add oil. I prefer avocado oil for higher heat cooking but you can use olive oil.  Add salmon, skin side up and cook until well-browned, about 3 minutes.  Gently flip it over, turn down the heat to medium and cook until done, 4 minutes for medium rare and 6 minutes for fully cooked.

Personally I like my salmon medium rare as long as it’s really fresh.

Once the salmon is done, remove it from the pan onto a platter.  Pour off the oil.  Add the tomato mixture, cumin and olive oil.  Saute 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes soften. Scrape up all the bits stuck to the bottom, this is good stuff.

Salmon is one of the best sources of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA and is packed with Vitamin B12.  It has other great health benefits:

• Great source of easy to digest protein
• Improves memory and cognitive function
• Reduces fine lines and wrinkles
• Helps maintain healthy insulin levels
• Good for you eyes, helps prevent macular degeneration
• Promotes heart and cardiovascular health

Wild caught salmon is your best choice. If that’s not available get salmon that is responsibly farmed and sustainably raised. Here is a little bit of information about farm raised salmon from Whole Foods to help you make a good choice.

I find a 4 ounce serving of salmon enough for one person, but there is plenty of sauce if you want to make more and serve 6 ounces per person.  I cut the whole fillet into 2 pieces so it’s easier to flip over.

I serve it with Garlic and Basil Zucchini Noodles (recipe coming soon).  It’s my kind of meal, farm fresh vegetables at the height of their season simply cooked without a lot of fuss.

You could also serve it with fresh green salads, roasted veggies, lentils, sauteéd greens…whatever you like.

Enjoy this Pan Roasted Salmon with Tomato Vinaigrette it’s…

quick and easy
super healthy
full of Omega 3 fatty acids
high protein
balanced and delicious

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Pan Roasted Salmon with Tomato Vinaigrette

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• Author: Ingrid DeHart - EatWellEnjoyLife.com
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 10
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
• Cuisine: Farm to Table, Seasonal

Ingredients

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• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
• ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt, plus more for salmon
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ¼ – 1 ½ pounds salmon fillet, skin on, cut into 2 pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons

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Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together the tomatoes, shallot, vinegar, capers and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
2. Season salmon with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a cast iron pan or heavy sauté pan on
   medium-high heat.
4. Once the oil is hot, place fillets in pan skin side up. Cook until well-browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes.
5. Gently flip the fillets.
6. Turn the heat down to medium. Continue to cook until salmon flakes easily with a fork. If you like it a little rare cook 4-5 minutes, thoroughly cooked 6-7 minutes.
7. Transfer fillet to a platter and pour all the fat out of the pan.
8. Return the pan to medium heat and add the tomato mixture, 3 tablespoons olive oil and cumin.
9. Cook until tomatoes soften, about 2 minutes, stirring to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet (this is the good stuff).
10. Top the salmon fillets with the sauce and sprinkle with parsley and basil.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 1/4 pound salmon.