56: Pan Seared Steelhead Salmon / Spicy Kale Salad with Fennel, Cremini, and Tomatoes

I miss cooking salmon. Amber is allergic to salmon, so I don’t buy it often. Lucky for me I picked up a pound of steelhead salmon at a great price from the butcher to eat as post-workout meals. Steelhead salmon has such a rich and fatty taste and texture that I didn’t want too much the taste, so I just added a little salt and pepper. The key to a good piece of salmon is how you cook it in a pan. I like to let the pan get really hot with no oil or butter in it, then add the oil, then add the fish. This method creates a nice and crispy skin within minutes, with just a gentle flip of the salmon on the other side to finish it off.

Kale is a super food, so I added some of my favorite veggies in cherry tomatoes, fennel, and cremini mushrooms to round out my salad. This meal could also serve as a light dinner, even though I had it for lunch.

Ingredients and Directions:

1/3 pound salmon filet, skin on

Handful of kale, shredded

Fennel, diced

Cremini mushrooms, diced

Spicy sesame oil

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the salmon: Heat pan for salmon on high heat for 3-5 minutes. Generally, I like to let it start smoking a little before adding olive oil. You can dust salmon in salt and pepper while waiting for the pan to warm up. Let the oil warm for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and add the salmon. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side, flip, and turn off heat. This will create a medium rare salmon, so adjust cooking times as needed if you like your salmon cooked past medium rare.

For salad: Heat spicy sesame oil in a pan for a few minutes over medium heat. Sauté kale, fennel, and mushrooms with salt and pepper until kale wilts, about 4 minutes. I didn’t cook the tomatoes to add a bright contrasting flavor to the dish. Arrange your salad and fish on a plate.

Enjoy!