Weeknight Pan Roasted Salmon

Salmon has been in my blood since I was a child.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest with a dad that loves to fish, studied marine biology in Bellingham and Seattle, Washington where the focus was always on salmon, and even worked as a commercial fishermen in Alaska for a summer.  As a marine biologist, I’ve had numerous salmon jobs ranging from fishing, watching other people fish, to writing policy documents about fish and I have to say, salmon are my most favorite of all fish.   It has the most interesting life cycle and it is just such a pretty fish.

I’m putting a book of recipes together of some of our family favorites and I knew I just had to include a recipe for salmon.  It is usually the center piece of any trip we take to Seattle, either we go fishing, eat fish, view the fish in the hatchery or all three.

Please use wild salmon whenever possible.  Wild salmon is so much better for you and the environment.  The salmon has had a chance to get out into the open ocean to feed and grow and has had the chance to swim down its natal stream—eating whatever it wants as it goes.  Farm raised salmon is typically fed a diet of corn and sometimes even chicken byproducts. It is higher in contaminants because the fish absorb the contaminants in the water around them and the farm raised fish sit in the same water for their entire life. (If you want to read more about this great fish and get more recipes check out Salmon: From Market to Plate by Maureen Barry . It was written by a blogger I met years ago at a food bloggers conference.)

I do realize that wild salmon is a lot more expensive and more difficult to find than the farm raised fish but I think the cost is worth it.  Not only does it taste so much better, it is just so much better for you.

When cooking salmon, you really don’t need much to make the flavor really shine.  It is full of great healthy fats which are really satisfying and good for you.

This recipe for pan roasted salmon is on regular weeknight rotation at our house. Since Sawyer has become a pescatarian, we try to get him as much fish as possible and salmon is one of his favorites. Vegans can try this recipe, too. Plant based fish is available online at gtfoitsvegan.com. It is a cinch to prepare and tastes great a top a kale salad and a bowl of quinoa or brown rice, however, if you cannot go fishing to get your salmon, you can get a Seafresh fishmonger delivery at least once a month.