Looking at this recipe, I initially thought it was going to take a lot of time and include many ingredients. For some reason, whenever I consider preparing dishes that include salmon, I think that. I’m not sure why. Probably because salmon is sort of expensive and needs close watching as it’s cooking. It’s a legitimate food and one of my favorites. It also usually includes some bells and whistles around it on the plate.
The Recipe
Believe it or not, there aren’t many ingredients at all. In total, there are eight and some of them can be combined, such as “salt and pepper” and “butter and olive oil.” The meat of the recipe includes only salmon, broccoli rabe and oranges. Not bad if I don’t say so myself.
If you enjoy mixing sweet and syrupy delight with seafood and vegetables, this recipe is for you. You’re going to love it. The orange juice is cooked down until it’s nice and thick and the slices as a garnish are an elegant touch. The salmon is as delicious as it always is and the broccoli rabe – well, if you’re a broccoli rabe fan, you’re in luck.
This iteration was inspired by Curtis Stone‘s recipe called Pan Fried Salmon with Broccolini and Orange Sauce. Keeping up with tradition, I wasn’t able to get my hands on any broccolini, so I substituted with the next best thing – broccoli rabe. I kept everything else almost the same.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
2 Navel Oranges
2 Cups Good Quality Orange Juice
12 Ounces Broccoli Rabe
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2 Tablespoons Regular Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper
4 6-Ounce Salmon Fillets
Step-by-Step Instructions
The original recipe calls for skinless salmon fillets, but I chose to keep the skin on. When pan fried, the skin becomes flavorful and crunchy and I prefer to eat my salmon like this. It’s up to you whether you use skin-on or skinless. It makes no difference to the recipe.
Cut Oranges & Reduce Juice
To start off, take the 2 oranges and trim both of their ends from them. Then, with a sharp knife, cut all the peel from them, including any white parts. After that, take the knife and cut out the tender part of each piece of orange, leaving the membrane of each piece behind. When finished, you should have multiple pieces of orange that look like those in the photo below.
Store these pieces of orange in a bowl for later use.
Next, pour the two cups of orange juice in a medium sized sauce pan. Warm over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Keep boiling, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until you have about 1/2 cup of juice left. At that point, remove the pan from heat, whisk 1 tablespoon of butter into it and set aside.
Blanch & Cook Broccoli Rabe
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. When boiling, add the broccoli rabe to the water and keep there for about 2 minutes. Be sure the broccoli stays submerged. At the end of the 2 minutes, the color of the vegetable should be bright green.
Next, lift the broccoli rabe from the boiling water and submerge it in a large bowl of freezing cold water. This will stop the cooking.
Finally, warm a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to it. Once the butter is melted, strain the broccoli rabe from the cold water and place it in the skillet. Cook, while stirring, for about 5 minutes. When finished, season with salt and pepper.
Cook the Salmon
Warm another large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to it and when to temperature, add the salmon. If keeping the skin on, be sure it’s facing the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the color of the salmon has changed about half way up the sides. When it has, flip the salmon and cook for another 3 minutes. Then, remove from heat and let stand on a plate. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on each fillet.
Plate & Serve
Divide the broccoli rabe among four plates and place one salmon fillet on top of each division. Then, drizzle some orange reduction over all of the salmon. Finally, place a few pieces of orange on the plates as a garnish. Serve.
The Final Dish
I’m sure you’re wondering how this tastes. Go for it and after you try it, let me know what you think. You’ll need to be a lover of orange and salmon. Even if you aren’t, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this dish.
——
If you’ve enjoyed today’s post and found it helpful, please share it with a friend. Also, if you’d like to continue reading and would like our posts sent directly to your email inbox, simply sign up for our newsletter. We’ll send each and every post directly to you. Thanks!
Leave a Reply