Mediterranean Salmon
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Mediterranean Salmon is a beautiful dish that can be on your dinner table in just 20 minutes! Pan-roast salmon filets with fennel bulb and cherry tomatoes for a delicious gourmet meal that’s ready in just 20 minutes!
Fennel and cherry tomatoes are tossed with a sweet spice rub and then cooked with the salmon, adding a delicious flavor to the fish.
Since I’ve been on my healthy kick, we’ve come to love preparing grilled salmon outdoors for dinner, but on rainy days like today, this pan-roasted recipe is becoming a quick favorite as well!
Mediterranean Salmon
Before I tried this recipe, I’d never cooked fennel bulb so I didn’t know quite what to expect. I’ve got to tell you, it’s not particularly easy to find if you’re a little unfamiliar with this unique vegetable like me.
Some groceries call it anise and some call it fennel/anise on their stock labels. I think there’s a technical difference, but since I was none the wiser, I went with the fennel/anise bulb.
What else can you do with fennel?
If you know what to do with the big stalk that you cut away from the bulb, please let me know because it seemed like a big waste to chop it off and throw it away!
UPDATE: Since writing this post back in 2017, I’ve learned that fennel stalks can take the place of celery in soups and stews. Also, the flowery tops on the stalks (fennel fronds) can be chopped and used as a herb, like you would use dill or parsley.
Anyway, the fennel bulb looks a little like an onion, but it has a hard core inside. For this recipe, I sliced the bulb into thin pieces and removed the core.
Is fennel a vegetable or herb?
Well, actually fennel is both a vegetable and herb! Fennel stalks are topped with feathery green leaves (fronds) and produce seeds (the spice used in Italian sausage).
Everything about the fennel is edible — bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds. The bulb and stalk are considered a vegetable.
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- Pork Medallions in Mushroom Marsala Sauce — Pan seared thick-sliced pork tenderloin medallions simmer in a buttery mushroom marsala sauce until tender and take less than 40 minutes start to finish.
- Southwest Shrimp & Succotash — Made with fresh corn and black beans, this easy recipe is a fresh, healthy, and easy dinner you can make in one skillet!
- BBQ Turkey Stuffed Peppers — Stuff BBQ-flavored turkey mixture into red, yellow, or green sweet bell peppers for a leaner version of the classic stuffed peppers recipe.
- Salmon Croquettes — Capers and fresh parsley in the homemade tartar sauce make a delicious compliment for this quick, healthy, and guilt-free dinner.
Mediterranean Salmon Recipe
The thing I like about salmon is how easy it is to prepare, especially with this recipe. Simply sprinkle a spice rub—basil, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, and sea salt—on the skinless side and sear it in olive oil for about five minutes.
Turn the salmon and add the fennel and cherry tomatoes and cook for another five to six minutes. Seriously, this is an easy, yet impressive, meal to prepare.
Mediterranean Salmon
Ingredients
Mediterranean Rub
- 1 teaspoon basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Pan-Roasted Salmon
- 4 4 oz. salmon filets , skin on
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 medium fennel bulb , cored and thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the spices for the Mediterranean rub. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons evenly over salmon filets—not on the skin side.
- To the remaining spice rub, add the 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons olive oil and stir.
- In a large bowl, toss fennel and cherry tomatoes with the spice mixture. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the salmon to the skillet skin side up and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Flip salmon and add fennel mixture to the skillet around the filets and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Making this for Easter this evening! Sounds so good and I’m sure will be wonderful!
Sounds yummy, gonna try this for dinner. Thank you for sharing
Very good! I paired with garlic mashed potatoes and the mixture of flavors was outstanding. Thanks for sharing…
Amazing recipe! My whole family loved it.
Oh, so glad you liked it! And, thanks for sharing here 🙂