So if you’ve been following my blog, you should know I LOVE fresh peas. My seared salmon with minty pea puree is a quick, light, flavorful meal perfect for a weeknight dinner.
If you happened to notice, I’ve been a little spotty with posting to social media lately. SO much has happened recently. I finally settled down in my new job, but about 2 ½ weeks ago I moved back to Brooklyn! I’m so excited to be out of Jersey and back to the city (no offense to the NJ lovers). Williamsburg is definitely more my speed, but as you could imagine I’m still settling in and constructing furniture etc so it’s been a little tough to focus on the food. On top of that, I just got back from vacation a few days ago. I had a wonderful time with my boyfriend in Grenada, but am completely ready to be back to my normal life at home.
Okay so back to this recipe. Fresh peas were again my inspiration. I seem to be able to find them in New York from early spring until July or so. One batch I snatched up for this recipe was sooo sweet and tasty raw. If you can’t find fresh peas, don’t worry. The frozen ones will work great in this recipe too.
Salmon and peas are a classic combination. In this dish, I brought things up a notch with perfectly seared salmon and an addictive pea puree made with sweet caramelized onions, fresh peas, mint and yogurt. Now, salmon and pea puree might not sound the most appetizing to the masses, but do you see how beautiful this dish is! And when I said addictive pea puree, I meant it. I spent a good amount of time slowly caramelizing onions (but keeping them on the lightly colored side) to add tons of flavor to this puree. Mint, yogurt and lemon juice make this sauce dynamic and well-balanced.
Since it’s really all about the sauce, I kept the salmon very simple. Salt and pepper. Seared in olive oil and butter. Served with a lemon wedge. That’s really all you need, but I decided to add in some texture too. Seeing as the salmon and pea puree are both fairly soft, I dressed up some raw peas and sprinkled over microgreens to finish off this dish. Whether it’s dinner with your significant other, a family affair or a dinner party, this simple salmon dish is sure to make a lasting impression.
Seared Salmon and Pea Puree with Yogurt & Mint
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Salmon and peas are a classic combination. In this dish, I brought things up a notch with seared salmon and an addictive pea puree made with sweet caramelized onions, fresh peas, mint and yogurt.
Ingredients
- 2, 6oz skinless salmon fillets
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
- 2 tbsp butter, divided
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup fresh, shelled English peas, divided (or frozen, defrosted peas)
- ¼ cup loosely packed mint, roughly chopped, plus whole small leaves for garnish
- 1 ½ tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- Microgreens for garnish (optional)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Sauté onions and peas: Warm a small nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter to the pan. Add onions and season with salt. Cook for a total of about 25-30 minutes or until sweet and caramelized without taking on much color. Adjust heat to low when needed to avoid browning. Add ¾ cup of peas, season with salt and spoon in 1 tablespoon of water. Increase heat back to medium and simmer peas for 3-5 minutes or until just cooked through.
- Puree peas: Add onion/pea mixture and mint to a food processor or blender. Plus until coarsely blended. Add 1 tablespoon of water, or as needed, and continue to blend until smooth. Push through a sieve into to a bowl to remove any lumps. Stir in yogurt and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Cook salmon: Heat a medium sized nonstick pan over medium to medium-high heat. Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Place salmon fillets in pan. Cook until browned on first side, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and add 1 tablespoon of butter to pan. Continue to cook to desired doneness, basting with butter, for about 2-3 minutes for medium. Remove from pan.
- Season peas: Toss remaining ¼ cup of raw peas with just enough oil to coat, and season with salt. If using frozen defrosted peas, add to sauté pan with oil and salt and cook until just warmed through.
- Plate: Spoon about half of pea puree onto plate and swoosh to spread. Place salmon over puree. Drizzle over some of cooking oil from pan if desired. Top with microgreens and raw peas, and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Sear
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salmon fillet and half of pea puree
- Calories: 545
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 43g
Looks amazing! Will definitly be giving this a try. What do you suggest paring with it to make it a full meal? (e.g. potatoes, veggies etc)
Thanks, Naomi! I think potatoes, rice or even a lemony, herby quinoa could work well as a side. For a vegetable, you could keep things going with the pea theme and make sugar snap peas or snow peas. Roasted carrots would work too if you like a carrot and pea combo. You could also skip the vegetable and add a side salad. If you make a full meal of this, I would love to hear which route you went with!
Thank you so much for your reply with suggestions!
I will let you know when I’ve made it 🙂
Do you mean sauté the onion for 25-30 seconds?
Sorry for the late reply! I’m recovering from being sick. 25-30 minutes, not seconds. The recipe is correct. I cook the onion low and slow so it’s sweet and extra delicious. If you want to reduce the time to 5-10 minutes, feel free but it won’t be exactly the same. I totally understand if you want to save time, as this is a technique I learned in professional kitchens where we we’re cooking all day long! Happy cooking.
Wow, that’s a really beautiful and vibrant dish. Love salmon so definitely trying out your recipe soon.
Thanks so much, Dhanya!
Beautiful combination. Pure, clean tastes. I am literally drooling into my keyboard. Really, really nice. Drool worthy pics as well:-)
Thank you so much, Romain 🙂
Great looking post, Sabrina! I love how you incorporated those fresh peas into a fantastic sauce. I am drooling 🙂
Thank you, Pat!