I've made this Pan Seared Salmon with Vegetables dish more than several times now. It's so good! The salmon, immersed in a maple, ginger, and soy sauce marinade, is crispy on the outside and tender and flaky on the inside. The vegetables are crunchy and juicy. Pour the optional homemade Tzatziki sauce over the salmon and vegetables for an extra zing!
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I used to only make oven-baked salmon, like my Baked Seafood-Stuffed Salmon. Or, I would add salmon to soup, like this Simple Seafood Soup Recipe. But, after my oven broke, I cooked everything on the stove. Pan searing crisps the salmon beautifully. It locks in so much flavor!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- salmon fillet is cut into smaller pieces to allow for quicker and more even cooking.
- the salmon turns out crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside
- the bed of vegetables adds additional crunch and nutrition
- the optional, but highly recommended, Tzatziki sauce adds more flavor
Ingredients
- Salmon: any salmon fillet will work for this. Sockeye salmon, Atlantic salmon, pink salmon, or any other type of salmon. I used Atlantic salmon in this recipe, and my Sweet Chili Salmon recipe.
- Vegetables: we're going to julienne a yellow onion, zucchini, and a variety of different-colored bell peppers.
- The marinade ingredients: a very simple marinade consisting of soy sauce, maple syrup, minced ginger, and minced garlic. You can read more about marinating in my How Marinating Works (or Doesn’t!) post.
*** See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and quantities
The Tzatziki sauce
The sauce will take you just about 5 minutes to make and will require a few extra ingredients, but, though optional, it's definitely worth the extra little effort. If you don't like Tzatziki sauce, or for another sauce option, this Cilantro Lime Tahini Sauce is also delicious served over the salmon.
For the Tzatziki sauce you will need:
- Yogurt: plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream would work great too
- Dill: a little bit of fresh, chopped, dill
- Cucumber: grated and strained to avoid watery sauce
- Garlic: minced garlic
- Lemon Juice: will add acidity to the sauce. Lemon juice can be substituted with a little bit of vinegar.
- Seasonings: just a little bit of salt and pepper (optional, to taste)
Substitutions and Variations
- Eggplant: substitute for any of the vegetables, or add it as an addition. Any eggplant will work. Eggplants absorb more oil while cooking, so you may need to add more oil to the pan, to keep the eggplant from burning.
- Mushrooms: any type of mushroom will be delicious.
- Shrimp: saute some peeled and de-veined shrimp and place one over each salmon piece.
- Roasted vegetables: to make this a fuller, heartier meal, you can make these Healthy Turmeric Oven Roasted Vegetables instead of the stir-fried veggies.
- Make it spicy: add a little bit of chili flakes or sprinkle the salmon with some hot paprika or Cajun spice to add a little spice!
Preparation
STEP 1: Prepare the marinade
Add soy sauce, maple syrup, minced ginger, and minced garlic to a large mixing bowl and whisk with a fork. Stir in salt to taste, if using low-sodium soy sauce. Set aside.
STEP 2: Marinate the salmon
Cut the salmon and toss the pieces into the bowl with the marinade. Let stand for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the onion, bell peppers, and zucchini.
STEP 3: Sear Salmon
Saute the marinated salmon, skin side down (if using salmon with skin). Reserve the marinade in the bowl to be used later. Sear the pieces for 4 minutes, then flip the salmon and cook an additional 3 minutes, or until the fillets have browned and fully cooked (145 degrees F).
STEP 4: Sauté vegetables
Sauté the vegetables over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the reserved soy sauce marinade and sauté the seasoned vegetables for an additional 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
STEP 5: Prepare sauce (optional):
In a small mixing bowl combine all sauce ingredients and whisk well with a fork.
STEP 6: Serve
Place the cooked pepper on a serving plate, top with the salmon pieces, and serve the sauce on the side or over the salmon.
Top Tips
- Cut the fish and vegetables uniformly, so they cook evenly
- If possible, choose fillets with the skin on and pan-sear skin side down first, to get the skin crisped
- Make sure to use a non-stick skillet so that the skin does not stick to the pan and so it's easy to flip the fish over
- Do not overcrowd the fish on the skillet, cook in batches if necessary
- When making the Tzatziki sauce do not peel the cucumber. Use the larger holes of the box grater. To strain, place the grated cucumber in a fine strainer and firmly press to strain any excess water.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's best not to remove the skin. It will protect the salmon from the high heat of the pan and protect it from losing some of the nutrients during the cooking process. Start searing the salmon skin side down, on high heat, allowing the skin to become crispy before flipping it over and searing the other side.
Besides the crispy goodness, salmon skin has the highest amount of Omega-3 fatty acids. Though, if you prefer not to eat the skin, you can always remove it after cooking. If you do eat the cooked and crispy skin, make sure you are purchasing fresh salmon from a reputable source.
Although baked salmon tastes amazing too, pan-searing salmon makes it more crispy quicker.
And, it crispens the skin beautifully!
Cutting the vegetable julienne style (thin stick-shaped veggies) is not a must for this recipe. As long as your vegetables are cut into even, uniform-cut pieces (so they cook evenly), any shape or form you like works. Times of cooking may vary, depending on the size of the vegetables; if the pieces are too large in size they may need more time to saute.
Serving suggestions
Serve this dish warm, or at room temperature.
It's great served with these Oven Roasted Potato Cubes or these Easy 3-ingredient Baked Potato Wedges.
A fresh salad, like our Spring Vegetable and Berry Salad also goes well with the salmon dish.
Storing and reheating leftovers
Store the salmon and the vegetables together in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep leftovers of the sauce in a separate container in the fridge.
To reheat, you can use the microwave, but I like to heat it in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, in an oven-safe dish. The oven keeps the crispiness of the salmon and vegetables. Pan searing is of course also an option. Sear the vegetables first, transfer them onto a plate, and then sear the salmon and place heated salmon over the vegetables.
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Recipe
Pan Seared Salmon with Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup soy sauce regular or sodium-free
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- salt only if using low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 lb. salmon fillet with skin, recommended but optional
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- ½ red bell pepper julienned
- ½ yellow bell pepper julienned
- ½ orange bell pepper julienned
- 1 zucchini julienned
For the sauce:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 cucumber grated and strained to avoid watery sauce *see note 5 in notes section
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice squeezed from fresh lemon
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the salmon marinade:Add soy sauce, maple syrup, minced ginger, and minced garlic to a large mixing bowl and whisk with a fork to combine all ingredients. Stir in salt to taste, if using low-sodium soy sauce. Set aside.
- Marinate the salmon:Place the salmon fillet on a cutting board and, using a sharp chef's knife, cut the salmon into approximately 3-inch pieces. Toss the pieces into the bowl with the marinade and let stand for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the onion, bell peppers, and zucchini.
- Sear Salmon: Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, until the pan is very hot. Using cooking tongs place each piece of the marinated salmon skin side down, without overcrowding (use two skillets, if necessary). Reserve the marinade in the bowl to be used later. Sear the pieces for 4 minutes, then flip the salmon using cooking tongs or a fish spatula and sear for an additional 3 minutes, or until the salmon has browned and fully cooked (145 degrees F). Transfer the salmon to a serving platter.
- Sauté vegetables:Add the julienned vegetables to the skillet you used to sear the salmon. Sauté over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soy sauce marinade you reserved earlier and sauté the seasoned vegetables for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occassionally. Set aside.
- Prepare sauce (optional):In a small mixing bowl combine all sauce ingredients (see note 5 below) and whisk well with a fork.
- Place the vegetables on a serving platter, top with the salmon pieces and serve the sauce on the side to be topped over salmon.
Notes
-
- Cut the fish and vegetables uniformly, so they cook evenly
- If possible, choose fillets with the skin on and pan-sear skin side down first, to get the skin crispened
- Make sure to use a non-stick skillet so that the skin does not stick to the pan and so it's easy to flip the fish over
- Do not overcrowd the fish on the skillet, cook in batches if necessary
- When making the Tzatziki sauce do not peel the cucumber. Use the larger holes of the box grater. To strain, place the grated cucumber in a fine strainer and firmly press to strain any excess water.
- To reheat, you can use the microwave, but I like to heat it in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, in an oven-safe dish. The oven keeps the crispiness of the salmon and vegetables. Pan searing is of course also an option. Sear the vegetables first, transfer them onto a plate, and then sear the salmon and place heated salmon over the vegetables.
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