Two Recipes for Pan-Seared Salmon

Salmon is a sea fish. Norway is the largest producer of farmed and wild salmon. Thanks to its proximity to Germany, salmon is commonly available in supermarkets in Germany. You get salmon in both fresh and frozen form in supermarkets.

On my recent visit to Aldi, a popular supermarket in Germany, I found a 1 kg fillet of fresh salmon in the refrigerator section, and I couldn’t resist picking it up.

I brought it home and made it two ways. In the first method, I pan-seared salmon in lemon butter sauce; in the second, I used a butter garlic sauce. With one kg of salmon, I was able to get eight big pieces of salmon. So, I divided them and used 4 for the first recipe and 4 for the second.

The preparations tasted great, and the best part was that a delicious meal was ready in under 30 minutes.

EQUIPMENT

You don’t need much. A stable cutting board with a knife is all you need to get clean salmon cuts. Then, you need a grater to get lemon and orange zest and grating garlic. Then, you need a nonstick or cast iron grill pan. A regular pan will also do if you don’t have a grill pan.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Recipe 1: Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

500 gm Salmon
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
Salt; to taste
½ tsp Black pepper powder
1 heaped tsp Lemon and Orange Zest (90%lemon and 10%orange)
4 tbsp Lemon Juice
Chopped Coriander/parsley for garnishing
Sliced Lemons/Oranges for garnishing

Ingredients for Recipe 2: Pan Seared Salmon with Butter Garlic Sauce

500 gm Salmon
4 tbsp Herbed Butter
Salt; to taste
½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
2-3 Cloves Garlic; grated

Some Notes about Ingredients and their Sourcing in Germany:

Salmon: Fresh Salmon is available in many supermarkets. I bought mine from Aldi. Salmon is called Lachs in German

Butter: Easily available in supermarkets. Read my article about butter to know more. I used unsalted butter in the first recipe and Kräuterbutter in the second.

Salt: Easily available in supermarkets. Read my article about salt to know more.

Black Pepper powder, garlic and lemons are easily available in supermarkets.

For Lemon and orange zest, wash the lemon and orange. Then grate carefully, ensuring you only extract the yellow/orange skin and not the pith (the white part).

INSTRUCTIONS

Method to make Recipe 1: Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

Cut the salmon into four big pieces. Rub salt and pepper and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
While the salmon rests, grate the skin of lemon and orange and keep the zest ready.
Also, squeeze out the juice from one lemon.
Then, heat butter in a grill pan. Spread it evenly.
Place the salmon pieces on the pan when the butter starts changing its colour.
On high heat, pan-fry them for about 5-6 minutes.
Add lemon zest. Fry for 2 minutes.
Add lemon juice. Fry for 2 minutes more.
Remove from the pan. Transfer the salmon with the lemon butter sauce to a serving plate. Garnish with chopped coriander/parsley and sliced oranges/lemon and serve.

Recipe 2: Pan Seared Salmon with Butter Garlic Sauce

Cut the salmon into four big pieces. Rub salt and pepper and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
While the salmon rests, grate the garlic cloves and keep them aside.
Then, heat butter in a grill pan. Spread it evenly.
When the butter starts changing its colour, add grated garlic and fry it for about 30 seconds on high heat.
Now, put the salmon pieces. On high heat, pan-fry them for about 5-6 minutes.
Remove from the pan. Garnish with chopped coriander/parsley leaves and serve.

Here is the recipe in printable format: