Easy Pan-Seared Salmon with Creamy Pea Sauce and Veggies

While summer is still with us, and light meals are still popular, this easy pan-seared salmon recipe transforms simple ingredients into a restaurant-quality meal. Tasty golden, crispy-skinned salmon fillets served with a vibrant pea sauce is served with tender fresh asparagus ribbons and perfectly roasted mushrooms. This delicious roasted salmon recipe is the kind of elegant dish that makes any weeknight feel special.

What makes this pan-seared salmon dinner recipe truly shine is the beautiful contrast of textures and flavors. The salmon develops an irresistibly crispy exterior while staying flaky and tender inside.  

The silky smoothness of the creamy pea sauce and the fresh crunch of asparagus crudo complement the pan-seared salmon.

Meanwhile, the earthy roasted mushrooms add depth and richness that tie everything together.

You’ll love how the bright green pea puree not only tastes incredible but also creates a stunning visual presentation that looks like it came straight from a fine dining kitchen.

This healthy pan seared salmon with asparagus and mushrooms is perfect for warm-weather dining, both for entertaining guests and treating your family to something extraordinary. This delicious dish celebrates fresh, seasonal ingredients without any fuss. 

We love salmon at our house. It’s so good for you – and so delicious prepared using the pan-roasting technique.

this Idea.

I first prepared this recipe as part of a cooking class several years ago. The class featured several recipes from A Moveable Feast, the show on PBS from Fine Cooking Magazine.  

Check out another recipe from A Moveable Feast, this very special Baby Carrot Salad with Yogurt and Thai Chili Vinaigrette.

This recipe looks complicated, but it’s not. It’s a multi-layered dish that will make you so proud to present to guests.

In addition to the salmon, a crudo “slaw” of asparagus takes care of the vegetable on the plate. The sauce made from peas will fool even the most anti-vegetable person at the table. The roasted mushrooms provide a crunchy texture and the savory taste of earthiness.

What Makes This Easy Recipe So Great?

• What makes this finished salmon recipe attractive are the colorful and vibrant ingredients. It’s a complete meal made in four parts. The presentation does look like it could be served in a restaurant.
• The recipe may be made in four parts, but don’t let that scare you off. Two of the parts are “non-cooking” using fresh ingredients. They can both be made a few hours ahead.
• This easy salmon recipe starts in a skillet, but is finished in the oven. The mushrooms are roasted over high heat in a cast-iron skillet. They can be cooked ahead and kept warm in the oven.
• This recipe is uniquely suited for company since it can mostly be made ahead and the salmon is finished in the oven.
• All the components are easy to make and require no special culinary skills.
• The combination of pan-seared salmon, a light pea sauce (no dairy included), a fresh asparagus crudo, and roasted mushrooms is perfect from spring through early fall.

Ready to create restaurant-style salmon at home? Let’s dive into this show-stopping recipe that proves elegant cooking doesn’t have to be complicated.

Fresh Ingredients that You Will Need:

• Fresh salmon fillets (skin-on for the best sear), about 6 ounces each. Buy the bet salmon available at your local store. The fattier the salmon, the more flavorful.
• Fresh or frozen peas for the creamy sauce
• Crisp fresh asparagus spears
• Mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, or a mix) – the original recipe called for morel mushrooms, which are very expensive. Choose your favorite affordable variety.

Pantry Ingredients

You’ll find you have most of these ingredients in the pantry or the refrigerator.

• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• ground cayenne
• extra-virgin olive oil
• lemons for zest and juice
• unsalted butter
• low-sodium chicken broth
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• fresh chives
• fresh thyme leaves
• dry vermouth

Use the best salmon you can find. Tell the fishmonger that you want center-cut to get the thickest portion. Also, choose a variety that has a good percentage of fat for more flavor and tenderness.

The original recipe was very “chefy”, so I’ve simplified it and made it more “home-cook friendly”. Instead of shelled peas, use frozen peas. If you can’t find morels, use shitakes, creminis, or even button mushrooms.

I’ve also included the estimated amount of time for each step. You’ll see that even though the ingredient list seems long, the actual recipe can be made in about 30 minutes.

NOTE: Throughout the recipe, exact amounts of salt and pepper are given, in most cases, 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon or tablespoon. When it comes to anything less than a teaspoon (or 2) of salt, I encourage you to use pinches between your thumb and forefinger and estimate.

Instead of measuring pepper, think of “grinds” of your pepper mill. Season and taste, season and taste. Your cooking will improve when you step away from so much measuring of small amounts of salt and pepper and rely on your own sense of taste.

Making This Delicious Dish

As I said, this recipe has four parts. After making this recipe a couple of times, I changed the order of preparation for more efficiency.

Here’s the prep plan:

Make the Pea Sauce (Also Called Crema)

• You can use frozen peas. Allow them to thaw. Simmer in salted water for about 3 minutes. Drain into a colander and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Then drain.

• Place the drained peas in the blender and pulse until smooth, adding a bit of water to blend.

• Add salt, pepper, and cayenne, and pulse again. With the motor running, add the olive oil and pulse until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the jar, about 5 minutes.

• Transfer the pea creama to a bowl, lightly cover and set aside at room temperature.

Making the Asparagus Crudo

• Select medium-sized asparagus spears – they have more flavor. Lay the spear flat on the cutting board. Use a vegetable peeler and shave the peel, turning the spear around as you go, into as many lengthwise strips as you can.

• Place the shavings in a bowl. Add the finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, chives, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Toss to combine. Cover and set aside.

Roasting the Salmon

• Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
• Melt the butter with olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until the foam subsides.

• Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with kosher salt and a grind of black pepper.
• Add the salmon to the skillet, skin side down and cook until the skin is browned and crisp.

• Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking, about 8 minutes.

Roasting the Mushrooms

• Clean, trim and slice the mushrooms.
• Melt the butter with the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium skillet overmedium-high heat until the foam subsides and the oil begins to shimmer.
• Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 3 – 5 minutes.

• Add the vermouth and boil to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits, until almost all is evaporated.
• Add the broth and thyme. Simmer briskly until the liquid is reduced by about half, 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.

• Add the remaining butter and swirl the pan until the butter is incorporated. Keep warm.

Want more great seafood recipes? Try these: Easy and Delicious Baked Salmon and Weeknight Easy Mustard Roasted Fish Recipe.

Assembling the Salmon, Pea Sauce, Asparagus Crudo, and Roasted Mushrooms

Now you are ready to plate the four components of the recipe.

• On a serving plate, use a serving spoon, to divide the pea crema among four plates in a “swoosh” shape.

• Place a piece of salmon on top of the pea crema. Spoon the Mushrooms and the Asparagus Crudo next to or on either side of the fish.

If you’ve never made a dish with 4 different components, step out of your comfort zone.  The key is to have all your ingredients prepped, measured and ready to go – that’s called mise en place – everything in its place.

Be a rock star in the kitchen!

Check out more recipes at these Pinterest Boards: Seafood Recipes, Summer Recipes, Vegetable Recipes, Spring Recipes.