Pan Fried Salmon with Sautéed Broccoli

Pan fried salmon with sautéed broccoli is also known as the 15 min weeknight dinner at our house. When I don’t have time for something fancier, pan frying a piece of fish and a side of broccoli is my go-to dinner dish.

serves: 2 difficulty: easy prep time: 15 min

Ingredients

2 pieces of Atlantic salmon, 1/2 lbs each (I prefer it to the fancier varieties like Coho because it is fattier)
2 lbs broccoli
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tbs olive oil
pinch of chili flakes
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbs canola or vegetable oil

Preparation

Chop the broccoli. I use the stems as well – beside the florets.

Mince the garlic.

Heat a frying pan that has a lid and is large enough to hold the broccoli. Add the olive oil and once it shimmers, add the broccoli. Stir the broccoli and sauté for 2 min – until the broccoli turns bright green.

Add 1/2 tbs salt, garlic and the chili flakes, and cover with a lid. Continue sautéing for another 3-4 min. Add the chicken stock or water, and cover with the lid again. Continue cooking for another 1-2 min. Check for doneness. You want the broccoli to be soft but not mushy. Bear in mind that once you turn off the heat the broccoli will continue cooking for some time, so you want to remove the broccoli from the heat while it is still harder than you want it. Remove from the heat and remove the lid. The broccoli is ready to serve.

In the meantime, pat dry the salmon.

Season on one side with salt and half the cumin. The cumin gives it a nice “blackened” appearance and aroma.

Heat a fry pan, add the canola or vegetable oil, and once it is shimmering, add the salmon with the seasoned side down. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 2.5 min. Remove the lid and season the uncooked side with salt and the other half of cumin. Flip the salmon, cover with the lid and cook for another 2 min.

Turn off the heat but keep the lid on for another min or two. The salmon will continue cooking although you have turned off the heat. Remove from the pan and serve.

In this case I also made a side of cous cous, and paired with one of my very favorite Rieslings: FX Pichler Durnsteiner Kellerberg Riesling Smaragd.