Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Salmon with Spice Rub Recipe


 This is one of my favorite recipes to use for cooking salmon.  The main reason I love this recipe is because it doesn't require any marinading or much prep.  I cook supper nearly every day, but I am not much of a meal planner.  I never have a menu for the week (despite my best attempts) and it's not unusual for Justus to call me as he's leaving work (he has an hour commute) and the only thought I've given to the evening meal is setting out some chicken to thaw.  Especially in the summer!  Now that we have some after-school activities and the weather will cool down soon, I do have to put a little more thought into meals, but this salmon still ranks up there as a great meal to cook when I'm putting a meal together in a hurry! 


 This salmon has a delicious variety of seasonings that are mixed together and used as a rub.  If you want to add a little kick, you could even include some cayenne pepper, but since I have little ones, I keep the seasonings mild. 


The salmon is rubbed with the spice mixture...


And seared briefly in a skillet with some olive oil before putting in the oven. 


I always add some parchment paper to my baking pan before placing the salmon on it.  It saves on clean up! 


 The salmon is then placed in the oven and baked until done. 


(I always test with a fork to make sure it's cooked through.  You can tell by how easily it flakes.)


 We usually have salmon once a week and I always make a batch of brown rice as a side.  It's such a great pair and is even delicious mixed together.  An easy, healthy meal you can have on the table in less than an hour!   


Salmon with Spice Rub Recipe

Ingredients:

2 lbs salmon fillets 
2 Tbsp organic brown sugar
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin in a small bowl.  

Rub spice mixture on salmon fillets (the salmon I buy usually has the skin on, so I only place the spice rub on the top side of the salmon).

Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Once hot, place the salmon in the skillet and sear on each side for 1-2 minutes.  

Transfer the salmon to a baking pan or dish lined with parchment paper and place in the oven until done (the salmon will flake easily with a fork).  This will usually take about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon.  Enjoy immediately! 


P.S.  This particular evening I was craving poppy seed dressing to go with our salad.  I combined kale, spinach & chard greens with sliced strawberries and chopped almonds and used this easy recipe for the poppy seed dressing.  It was pretty tasty! 

16 comments:

  1. When's dinner? I'll be there! I love salmon, my favorite fish to eat! It's funny though, I've never made it. Afraid I'll under/over bake it. A weekly meal? What day? Looks soooo delicious. Love this post Andrea, Kathleen in Az

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    1. LOL! I completely understand... it took me a long time before I tried cooking fish! And many times I have over-baked because I'd rather it be well cooked than not cooked enough! But just like anything else, it won't be long before you'll be comfortable cooking it, and I still think salmon is the easiest fish to cook. Just keep checking in the oven with your fork, even if you have to tear the filet apart a little. Also, sometimes I will cut the filet in half if it's really thick.

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  2. Oh, I am definitely going to make this! I love salmon. I know how good it is for you too. I've been wanting a recipe like this for it too. Thanks for sharing it. Your whole meal looks yummy!

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  3. This meals looks delicious and sounds easy to make. Your post made me smile, as I am the same way with meal planning. I usually end up winging it, I guess we are just creative people ;) The good thing is you have a little time with your husband's commute. I love trying your recipes and can't wait to try this one! P.S. Your blog update looks great Deni

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    1. Oh, I like your description (creative)! ;-) Yes, sometimes he calls me when he's leaving and I can't believe it's that late already and then I have to scramble - ha! Thanks about my blog update... I thought maybe I would just replace my previous header with words since I can't ever seem to keep the pictures updated with the season, but then felt like maybe it was a little too plain. But at that point I had already spent too much time working on it, so decided to leave it for now. ;-)

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  4. This looks delicious! I love salmon and looking forward to trying this recipe!

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  5. I will most definitely be trying this salmon dish! As a heart patient, I am always eating salmon so this is something different. I will not be using the salt so I hope that it won't alter the taste too much. Oh and I don't plan meals in advance either. I usually stand in front of the freezer in the morning and look for something to cook that night :)

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    1. I think it will still be full of flavor without the salt. So glad to hear I'm not the only one - I do the exact same thing (stand in front of the freezer)! :-)

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  6. Looks amazing! Here in the pacific northwest, I feel like we've tried salmon lots of ways - but never like this. Can't wait to try it! Thank you for sharing :)

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  7. That looks like a recipe I can try. I'm one of those that don't cook fish at home either, maybe this will change that thinking! Just curious as to why you don't use the cast iron pan in the oven also, (since you've cooked in it already)?
    Also, as for no meal planning, how do you go about with your grocery shopping?

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    1. Good question - I have never cooked the salmon in the skillet, but I have a feeling the salmon would stick to the skillet and the sugar would possibly caramelize.
      Grocery shopping - I go grocery shopping every other week. My grocery list looks very similar each time! I have staples that I get regularly and I look through my pantry, fridge and freezer when I'm making out a list to make sure I'm purchasing anything I'm either out of or close to out of. I cook a lot from scratch and we eat very little food that is processed, so the food items I keep on hand are pretty much always the same. If I'm cooking for guests or we have something going on, I do plan ahead on those meals/dishes so I can pick up anything extra or different when I'm at the store. I also try to keep to our grocery budget, so I'm pretty meticulous about my grocery list so I am getting everything we need and (hopefully) not spending a fortune! ;-)

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  8. Happy you are posting more recipes! Your taco salad was SO good! As far as grocery shopping every other week....you must be so organized! I go WAY too much. Would love to cut down on all these "little trips." Would love to see your list and see if that would inspire me! I don't plan ahead either, so maybe a few ideas you have would help out. Think I ran out to get the pinto beans the day you posted the taco salad! That's what gets me off to the store! Ha ha
    Patty

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  9. I love salmon and I really like the idea of searing it before baking it, so I definitely will try that next time. Meal planning is definitely a task to take on....I know personally for me it is. My four little ones all like different things and I am not one who wants to become a short-order cook ha! Have a great week! ~Ashley

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