If I had to choose my favorite cooking method for serving salmon, I think pan-searing would be at the top of the list. Cooking the fish fillets in a pan with a touch of hot olive oil gives a lovely crust to both sides of the fish without drying out the fish’s flaky texture– and all the while, adding an incredible flavor to the salmon as well. I served these seared salmon filets with a lovely sauce made with pureed watercress, roasted garlic cloves, pine nuts and a touch of Parmesan cheese. A pesto by definition, this sauce had a thicker, smoother texture than a regular pesto sauce however–thanks to the buttery roasted garlic cloves.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Pan-Seared Salmon with Watercress & Roasted Garlic Pesto
Ingredients:
- (2) 6-7 oz. salmon fillets
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup fresh watercress
- 2 Tablespoons cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons pine nuts
- 6 roasted garlic cloves
Directions:
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon in the hot oil, flipping once, for 5 minutes per side (or until the salmon has a nice crust and is cooked to your liking*)
- To make the pesto sauce, combine the watercress, garlic cloves, cheese, juice of half the lemon, and pine nuts in a small food processor until smooth. Add in 1 Tablespoon of oil at at time until a super smooth consistency if formed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the seared fish with lemon slices and the pesto sauce.
Tagged: lemons, pan-seared salmon, pesto, pesto sauce, pine nuts, roasted garlic, salmon, seared salmon, watercress, watercress and roasted garlic pesto
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