Basic Pan-Cooked Salmon with Lemon Dill Crème Fraîche and Persian Cucumber
In my opinion, pan cooking is one of the best methods for preparing fish. Although it can seem intimidating at first, once you get the hang of it, you will find that it’s effortless and quick.It makes dinner as simple as cooking a piece of fish on the stovetop and then serving it with a sauce, salsa, pesto, or dressing of some kind. Sometimes I simply pair it with a mélange of roasted veggies, aromatics, and fresh herbs. And on occasion, just a squeeze of fresh lemon juice works perfectly.Because roasting and baking do most of the work for us, we can include more ingredients in such recipes. Pan cooking, however, needs our undivided attention and time, so I like to keep pan cooked recipes a little simpler. But simplicity shouldn’t mean a lack of flavor. This dish is filled with bright notes from the crème fraîche and lemon, complementary textures, and fragrant herbs.
Equipment
- Bowl
- Brush
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 ounces creme fraiche
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 to 1½ pounds salmon either skinless or skin on, cut into 3 or 4 pieces, patted gently with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, and any visible pin bones removed
- Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons ghee or high-heat oil
- 3 to 4 Persian cucumbers cleaned and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Mix together the crème fraîche, dill, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Brush a little olive oil over the salmon pieces and then season with salt and pepper
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ghee to the skillet. When the ghee is hot, add the salmon, flesh side down. Let the salmon cook for 3 to 4 minutes without moving so it can brown. You’ll notice the edges of the salmon becoming golden brown and the flesh closest to the bottom of the pan turning opaque.
- Then, flip the salmon over to be skin side down and let cook for another 3 to 4 minutes; cook longer for a thicker piece of salmon. Most fish cook through in about 10 minutes for every inch of thickness.
- Once the salmon is done, transfer to plates.
- Fold the sliced cucumber into the crème fraîche mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Top the salmon with dollops of the cucumber mixture and serve.