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Juicy pink salmon fried in a pan

Juicy Pan-Fried Pink Salmon

Perfect for a romantic dinner or a holiday spread! Wonderfully tender, juicy pan-fried pink salmon, fast and easy. You don't need many ingredients for these steaks — salt, a mix of peppers, a lemon, and the fish. That's really all it takes for a knockout result!

Pearl

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pink salmon steaks

750

Lemon

Ground black pepper

Allspice

Ground red pepper

Dried rosemary

Fresh rosemary

Garlic (optional, for frying)

Salt

Vegetable oil

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 55 % 16 g

Fats 41 % 12 g

Carbohydrates 3 % 1 g

170 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

How do you pan-fry pink salmon steaks? Start by prepping the fish. If you're working with a whole fish, first scale it and remove the innards and gills (you might later use the head for a tasty broth or soup, so it's best to take the gills out — they add bitterness). Cut the fish into steaks about 1 inch (2–3 cm) thick. If you're using store-bought frozen pieces, take them out of the freezer ahead of time and let them thaw.
Step 2:

Pat the salmon steaks dry on all sides with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Season each piece with salt on both sides, then with allspice and ground red pepper. Sprinkle the fish with a pinch of dried rosemary — it pairs beautifully with salmon. Let the steaks marinate this way for 10–15 minutes.
Step 3:

Pour refined vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet with high sides and heat it well. If you like, add a couple of garlic cloves and a sprig of fresh rosemary to the oil. Lay the salmon steaks in the oil and reduce the heat to medium. Fry, uncovered, until halfway done, about 3–5 minutes (I cooked mine for about 3). Once the garlic and rosemary turn golden, take them out — they've done their job.
Step 4:

Flip the steaks and fry until cooked through, another 3–5 minutes.
Step 5:

Transfer the finished steaks to a plate and squeeze fresh lemon juice over them. Serve with fresh vegetables and a salad.

Salmon is healthy and delicious. Pink salmon is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, trace minerals, and other nutrients, and its high protein content gives it real nutritional value. There are plenty of ways to cook it — you can pan-fry it plain, dredged in flour, or in batter. The simplest, fastest way to fry it well is to season it with salt and pepper, let it sit briefly, and fry it in oil. Overcook salmon in the pan and it turns dry, so 3–5 minutes per side is plenty for an amazingly juicy, tasty result. Enjoy!
For this recipe, use fresh fish rather than frozen if you can — otherwise the finished salmon is more likely to come out dry.
If you're using a pre-made spice blend, be sure to read the label. These mixes often already contain salt, so keep that in mind or you may over-salt the dish.
Everyone's tolerance for salt, sweetness, bitterness, heat, and acidity is different, so always season to your own taste. And if you're using a spice for the first time, remember that some are especially easy to overdo (chili pepper, for one).
Use an oil with a high smoke point for frying. Oils are only healthy up to a certain temperature — the smoke point — beyond which they start to burn and form toxic compounds, including carcinogens. Unrefined oils, with few exceptions, have a low smoke point; they're full of unfiltered organic particles that burn quickly. Refined oils handle heat better and have a higher smoke point. If you're cooking in the oven, in a skillet, or on the grill, make sure you're using a high-smoke-point oil. The most common ones are refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed oil.
Here's an easy way to tell if the oil in the pan is hot enough: dip in a wooden spatula. If bubbles gather around it, you're ready to start frying.