Salmon is easily a household favorite of ours for many reasons. It’s easy to prepare, it provides incredible flavor and pairs well with almost anything and everything. Plus, it contains an abundance of vitamins, minerals and omega fatty acids. So, what’s not to love!?

One of my go to methods of cooking salmon is baking. Sheet pan salmon might be one of the easiest. But, when you bake it, the extra crisp of the salmon on each side isn’t quite the same. So, pan searing the salmon is the answer! Now, I have a few key steps and tips when pan searing salmon to ensure it comes out perfectly tender and crisp:

• I like to rinse my salmon and then pat it dry. Making sure the salmon is completely dry ensures the salmon doesn’t stick to the pan when cooking and also results in an evenly crisp salmon over all.
• After I pat it dry, I season with salt and pepper to my liking and let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes while I prep my other ingredients. I let the salt and pepper seep into the salmon for extra flavor and crisp when it gets added to the pan.
• I use a high heat oil such as safflower or avocado oil and add it to the pan first and I make sure the oil is nice and toasty.
• When searing the filets, you want to do skin side up first.
• You will know when to flip when the color from the bottom up to the middle changes color from translucent to more of a pale pink color in about 5 minutes.
• Then, cook skin side down for another 3 minutes.

Once the salmon fillets are done cooking, remove them from the pan and set aside. Now, I know you might be tempted to wipe your pan clean when you begin to make the sauce. But, dont! You absolutely want all of that juice and oil kept in the pan for your sauce. That is where a lot of the flavor comes from.

I recommend pairing this salmon with steamed white rice, orzo or your favorite pasta. It will turn this tuscan salmon dish into a simple yet elegant weeknight dinner for the whole family. Just you or you and your significant other? No worries! You will have leftovers for the week.

Did you make this? If so, make sure to tag and follow @prettyplatebymichelle on instagram or leave a comment below and let me know what you thought! I love to see your Pretty Plate and hear from you!