We took my husband’s parents to our favorite, local GF-friendly restaurant on Saturday night (after getting their pizza to go on Friday night – #cantstopwontstop) and I was this close to ordering the dish I’m sharing with you today, Salmon Provencal. The reason I didn’t order it on Saturday was because I’d eaten it, ahem, THREE times the week before. Cannot get enough! If you never cook with salmon, I can almost guarantee this preparation will be your gateway recipe.
Easy Salmon Recipe
Seared salmon filets are drizzled with a luscious pan sauce made from freshly chopped tomatoes, chicken broth, a splash of white wine, garlic, butter, lemon and an obnoxious amount of capers. Absolutely stunning and so, so easy. We’re talking 10 minutes of cooking time and just one skillet — you’re going to lick your plate clean! A note on salmon: Atlantic salmon is almost always the cheaper option at the grocery store, but it’s a bit too fishy-tasting in my opinion (I prefer it smoked). That said, for sauted salmon, I usually go for sockeye or King if it’s on mega sale. Also, don’t turn your nose up at frozen salmon – it’s usually frozen right after it’s been caught so it’s extremely fresh.
How to Make Salmon Provencal
Start by preparing the tomatoes from the pan sauce. Score the bottom of 1 large, vine-ripened tomato with an “X” then drop it into a small pot of boiling water. Remove when the skin starts to peel away, 30 seconds, then peel it off and finely chop the tomato.
Measure out 1/2 cup of the tomato + liquid then set aside (you shouldn’t have too much leftover.) I like going the fresh tomato route versus the canned petite-diced tomato route as we only need 1/2 cup for the recipe, and you’d have 1+ cup leftover tomatoes if you opened a can.
Next heat a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over heat that’s a touch above medium. Generously season 2, 6oz salmon filets with salt and pepper then saute skin side up for 2 minutes. Flip then saute for 3-4 more minutes or until the salmon is cooked through, and then transfer to a plate and set aside.
Let the skillet cool off the heat for a minute then add 2 minced garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds, being very careful to not let them burn. Next add the tomatoes plus 1/4 cup each white wine and chicken broth (or 1/2 cup chicken broth if you want to omit the wine,) plus 2 Tablespoons capers. Turn the heat up to bring the liquid to a boil then turn it back to medium and simmer until the sauce reduces by half, 2-3 minutes. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons butter or vegan butter, then swirl until melted. Taste then add salt and pepper if necessary.
That’s all she wrote — so simple, right? Plate the salmon then drizzle the luscious sauce over the top. I place the salmon on top of cooked white rice to soak it all up, or serve with Gluten Free Focaccia, but you could go the low-carb route and pair the salmon with a salad or roasted asparagus instead. However you serve it – ENJOY!
More Seafood Dinner Recipes
Smoked Salmon Shrimp and Asparagus Garlic Herb Butter Pasta with Roasted Shrimp Shrimp and Wild Rice Skillet Spicy Shrimp Soup Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup
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