Pan Fried Salmon with Navel Orange Salsa! An easy dinner that delivers layers of delicious flavor. There is a great balance of sweet navel orange with creamy avocado and a zing from the jalapeño in the citrus salsa. Pair that with the well seasoned salmon, and the cilantro lime rice offer a winning combination for weekend or weeknight dinners. Also, this dish can easily be transformed into something new. You will never get bored with dinner or run out of ideas of what to make by substituting ingredients in this dish.
Who is ready for Spring?!
As I write this post we are actually under a winter advisory warning and I’m watching the beautiful snow fall while the sky is starting to get dark at 3pm!,…so essentially I’m longing for spring.
Good thing navel oranges are in season right now! So even if it currently doesn’t feel like spring outside, I can bring a little spring inside.
The great thing about this dish is that with the warm cilantro lime rice, the dish feels ooey and gooey and perfect for that pre-spring weather. Also, this dish is very versatile, replace the rice with some spring veggies or salad and you have a much lighter low carb dish. If you want to make the dish a little heartier, add mashed potatoes underneath.
Lastly, make a large batch of the navel orange salsa and add some chips for a quick appetizer before the meal or something to snack on during the week. I just love it!
Step One – Navel Orange Salsa:
This doesn’t take long to whip up. It’s just finely chopped Navel orange, avocado, red onion, jalapeño (without seeds and membrane if you are heat sensitive), cucumber, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Simple and delicious, I’m hoping this will be a new favorite this spring.
Step Two – Make the Rice:
Make white rice according to the directions of whichever brand you purchase. Once it’s finished you will add chopped cilantro, lime juice and lime zest for a quick version. If you’d like to make your rice a little “Extra” try our Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe.
Step Three – Make the Salmon:
While the rice is cooking, you can start the salmon. For me, pan fried just means 5 minutes on one side and roughly 3 minutes on the other and done. That’s why I love it. However, if I am prepping salmon for the week I would bake multiple salmon fillets instead. But when it’s just my husband and I, it’s pan fry all the way.
My go to is either a cast iron skillet or non-stick. Add a little avocado oil (or oil of your choice), and turn the heat up to medium. Once the pan is hot, place the salmon with skin side down (after adding salt and pepper to the salmon) if there is skin. Flip after 5 minutes and fry for an additional 3 minutes. Please make sure to always check for firmness and temperatures as no two salmon fillets are the same. Salmon should be cooked to 125°. These two fillets, I just made from frozen (after thawing in a water bath for 30 minutes) were fairly skinny so a total of 8 minutes total was just perfect.
Salmon Temperature
I personally like to remove it from heat when it’s between 125 to 130 degrees. It will continue to cook while I assemble the final dish. Another great thing about starting with skin side down is that you are guaranteed the skin will be super crispy and perfectly salted outside with a nice flakey inside.
Once the salmon is fully cooked, your rice should be done and you can start assembly. When I ate this with my husband, we ate it for dinner with some white wine and a little music. Any leftover rice and salsa can be used as leftovers during the week in bowls for lunch with your choice of protein. I plan on trying this recipe next with garlic shrimp. Delish!!
Seriously, a simple dinner with maximum flavor. It felt luxurious, but also was light enough you don’t need to take a nap afterwards. YUM!
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Pan Fried Salmon with Navel Orange Salsa
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Pan Fried Salmon with Navel Orange Salsa! An easy dinner that delivers layers of delicious flavor. There is a great balance of sweet navel orange with creamy avocado and a zing from the jalapeño in the citrus salsa. Pair that with the well seasoned salmon, and the cilantro lime rice offer a winning combination for weekend or weeknight dinners. Also, this dish can easily be transformed into something new. You will never get bored with dinner or run out of ideas of what to make by substituting ingredients in this dish.
Ingredients
For the salsa:
- 2 navel oranges
- 1 avocado
- 1 mini cucumber
- 1 jalapeño (seeds removed)
- 1 small red onion (or 1 quarter of a regular red onion)
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
For the rice:
- 3 cups of rice
- 1.5 cups of water
- 1.5 tablespoons of butter
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro
- 1 half of fresh lime juice
For the Salmon:
- 2 salmon fillets
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Avocado oil
Instructions
*Make sure if you are using frozen salmon that it is thawed before you get started. Also, don’t salt and pepper the salmon until it is just about to be cooked.*
Make the salsa:
- Finely chop avocado, red onion, jalapeño (seeds removed if you want less heat), cucumber, and cilantro.
- Segment the Oranges and then finely chop and add to other ingredients in a bowl.
- Add salt and pepper to your personal preference and mix with other ingredients in the bowl.
- Place bowl in the fridge or set aside until you are ready to assemble the entire dish.
For the rice:
Follow instructions on the packaging or place the following ingredients in a medium sized pot.
- Add 3 cups of rice, 1.5 cups of water, 1.5 tablespoons of butter, 3/4 teaspoons of salt to the pot uncovered.
- Bring the water to a boil, and once the water in the pot is boiling, bring heat down to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes or until water has fully evaporated (do not lift the lid until after the 20 minutes).
- Fluff the rice and add remaining cilantro and lime juice.
- Taste and add salt as needed 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
For the Salmon:
- Add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to a cast iron or skillet on medium heat.
- Liberally salt and pepper the salmon fillets.
- Just as the pan starts to smoke add the salmon, skin side down.
- Cook the salmon for 5 minutes and then flip for the remaining 3.
- Once cooked, place on a plate and set aside to rest while you plate the rice and get the salsa out of the fridge.
- Add rice to a plate or bowl, place the salmon on top and then top with the salsa.
Enjoy!
Notes
- I always cook the salmon last to ensure that it is hot and has time to rest. I also have a little one so I know at any time I can be called away from the kitchen. I know that the rice can sit for awhile but I don’t want cold salmon, so I wait until all other components are done before cooking that salmon but it is very much a personal preference.
- However, if you cook rice a lot, I would recommend making the rice first and then once it is simmering you have 10 minutes to make the salsa and 10 minutes to make the salmon before the rice is done. If you strive for efficiency then this may be your best route.
- One time while making this recipe, I had just finished cooking the rice. The salsa was still in the fridge when I was called away out of the kitchen. I came back 20 minutes later and forgot to take the salsa out of the fridge when I started cooking the salmon. By the time we sat down to eat, I removed the salsa from the cold fridge to a hot salmon and warm rice. It was not optimal. Try and take the salsa out of the fridge around the same time as cooking the salmon so it has time to get to room temperature.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Pan fried salmon with navel orange salsa
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