Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemon-Dill Butter Sauce and Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach Recipe
- by Chef David Rose
- Last updated Jul 18, 2024
Is the ocean calling to you (and your stomach)? Answer the call with this pan-seared salmon with lemon-dill butter sauce and sautéed mushrooms and spinach recipe. Full of rich, earthy flavors and citrusy notes, this remarkably simple recipe will satisfy your seafood cravings and deliver a lighter, more healthful dining experience.
Why We Love This Salmon Recipe
Whether you’re a regular pescatarian or just looking to expand your menu, this seafood dish is as impressive to serve as it is simple to make! With a total prep and cook time of less than 30 minutes, this recipe is ideal for those weekday nights when you don’t want to spend the whole evening cooking but still want to wow your palate.
Tools You’ll Need Before You Start
- 1 Large Cast-Iron Pan
- 1 Medium Sauce Pan
- 1 Large Sauce Pan
- 1 Whisk
How to Make Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemon-Dill Butter Sauce and Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach
You don’t have to live on a coast to serve ocean-fresh seafood for dinner when you have Omaha Steaks Faroe Islands Salmon Fillets in your freezer! Sustainably farmed in the Faroe Island with conditions that mimic salmon’s natural habitat, you won’t find salmon like this anywhere else (unless you book a cruise to the fjords between Norway and Iceland, that is). Boasting a beautiful crimson-orange hue and a firm, rich, and robust flavor and bursting with protein, vitamin D, and Omega-3s, these fillets make this a can’t-miss extraordinary dish.
1. Reel in Your Exquisite Salmon
Are you or someone you know suffering from seafood intimidation? Well, you can throw that intimidation overboard because you’re about to learn just how easy it is to pan-sear this mild and rich entrée. First, allow your Omaha Steaks Faroe Islands Salmon Fillets to thaw out of their flash-frozen perfection. First time thawing seafood? Omaha Steaks Beginner’s Guide to Seafood will help you get started!
Once your fillets are thawed, gently pat them with a paper towel to reduce moisture and allow them to come to room temperature over 15 to 20 minutes. Next, add low-smoke-point grapeseed oil to your large cast-iron pan and bring it to medium-high heat. Then lightly season your salmon on both sides with simple salt and pepper and place them in the pan. Sear them until they’re lightly browned, which should only take two to three minutes per side.
Finally, swirl your butter around the pan until completely melted and butter baste (aka spoon the melted butter over your fish continuously for a mouthwateringly moist bite) for about 30 seconds, then continue to cook for another two to three minutes, or until medium-done. Congrats, you just cooked salmon fillets to perfection in under 10 minutes!
2. Butter Up That Sauce
While your salmon fillets are cooking, use your down time to whip up a citrusy and savory sauce that will elevate even the most perfect seafood. Start by putting your medium sauce pan on low heat and adding olive oil (not the grapeseed oil we used to sear our fillets), delicate and mild shallots, and earthy garlic, then lightly sauté the ingredients for 60 seconds, or until they become slightly translucent.
Next, increase the heat to medium and add those spicy cherry peppers, sautéing for 30 second before you add citrusy fresh lemon juice and reduce by half in volume, which should take 45 seconds to one minute. Once reduced, add crisp white wine and increase the heat to medium-high to reduce again to 1/3 in volume over one minute. Next, add your savory chicken stock to the mixture and reduce again to 1/3, which should take two to three minutes.
There’s one last step and it’s worth the effort once you taste it! Turn off the heat and whisk in your cold, creamy unsalted butter and dill until the mixture has emulsified into a sauce-like consistency, then season to taste with salt and pepper and serve warm immediately.
3. Have Fun-gi With Your Mushroom and Spinach Side Dish
An entrée as glorious as this deserves an equally lovely side that is complex in flavors, but not in preparation. First, add your olive oil to a large saucepan and bring it to medium-high heat before adding earthy and smoky shiitake mushrooms and sautéing them for about one minute, or until they’re lightly browned. Next, add shallots and garlic, just like we used in our butter sauce, and lightly sauté for about 10 seconds. Then simply add your herby spinach, savory salt, piney black pepper, and spicy crushed red pepper, sauté until all the spinach has wilted and the ingredients are well incorporated over two minutes, and season to taste with more salt and pepper. Now you’re ready to set sail on a dining experience you won’t soon forget!
Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemon-Dill Butter Sauce and Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach
Ingredients
Pan-Seared Salmon
- 2 6 oz. Omaha Steaks Faroe Islands Salmon Fillets
- Kosher salt
- White pepper
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Lemon-Dill Butter Sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 8 oz. unsalted chicken stock
- 4 oz. dry white wine
- 4 oz. cold unsalted butter
- Juice of 1 whole lemon
- 1 small red hot cherry pepper, stem removed and quartered (optional to remove seeds to reduce spice level)
- 2 oz. olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper
Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach
- 10 oz. spinach
- 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
Pan-Seared Salmon
- Gently pat salmon fillets dry with paper towel and allow them to come to room temperature, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a large cast iron pan, add grapeseed oil and bring to medium high heat.
- Lightly season salmon with salt and white pepper on both sides, and place in cast iron. Sear until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 mins.
- Add butter swirl around pan, then flip salmon and butter baste for about 30 seconds. Continue to cook another 2 to 3 minutes until medium-done, or longer for desired doneness.
Lemon-Dill Butter Sauce
- Place medium-sized sauce pan on low heat, add olive oil, shallots, and garlic. Lightly sauté for 60 seconds until slightly translucent.
- Turn heat up to medium and add cherry pepper, sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add fresh lemon juice and reduce by 1/2 in volume, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add white wine and turn up heat to medium-high heat, reduce to 1/3 in volume about a minute.
- Add chicken stock and reduce to 1/3 in volume about 2 to 3 mins.
- Turn off heat and whisk in cold unsalted butter and chopped dill until emulsified and sauce-like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm immediately.
Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach
- In a large saucepan add olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté about 1 minute until lightly browned.
- Add shallots and garlic and lightly sauté for 10 seconds.
- Add spinach, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper and sauté until all spinach is wilted and well-incorporated, about 2 mins. Season to taste if needed with additional salt and pepper.
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