Seared salmon Greek salad
A crunchy, salty Greek salad topped with salmon that has crackly skin and a tender, juicy middle.
- 30 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $8.32 a serving
- 830 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 salmon fillets, about 6 oz each, skin on
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ english cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
From your pantry
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper, divided
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp dried oregano
Each serving has about 830 calories, 44 g protein, 18 g carbs and 65 g fat, and costs about $8.32 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No romaine lettuce? Green leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce works.
- No english cucumbers? Cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.
- No red onions? White onions or yellow onions work.
- No kalamata olives? Black olives work.
- No feta cheese? Goat cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the salmon very dry with paper towels and both sides with half the salt and pepper.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Dolly’s tip: A dry surface is what makes a crust. Wet fish steams and sticks.Shake 3 tablespoons of oil, the vinegar, oregano and the rest of the salt and pepper in a jar until it looks creamy.
the romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, onion and olives in a big bowl, but don’t dress it yet.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a large over medium-high heat until it .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Medium-high heat
Lay the salmon in skin side down, away from you, and press it flat for 10 seconds. without moving it for 4 to 5 minutes, until the skin is and the color has crept most of the way up.
Sear. Searing means cooking the outside of meat or fish in a hot pan, without moving it, until a deep brown crust forms. The crust is packed with flavor, and it only forms on a dry surface.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the moment it goes in, and it lets go of the pan on its own when the crust is ready.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium-high heatTimer: 4 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Laying it away from you keeps splatter off your hands. The skin lets go of the pan on its own once it’s crisp.Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until the salmon flakes easily in the thickest part.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Pour the dressing over the salad, , and scatter the feta on top.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Divide the salad between plates and set the salmon on top, side up.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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