Simply Seared Salmon Recipe in a Cast Iron Skillet

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Seared Salmon Recipe
Seared Salmon

Last Updated on September 19, 2021 by Sultana Parvin

Salmon is one of my favorite pieces of fish to cook and eat.  Salmon is a uniquely flavored fish that tastes great in many different recipes from sushi to salmon spread. Cooking Seared Salmon Recipe in a cast iron skillet adds a wonderful crunchy texture to the juicy flaky filet.

So why are we using a cast iron skillet and not the grill or oven?  A cast-iron skillet allows the chef to cook in oil at very high temperatures for fast cooking and flavorful food.  One of the beauties of the cast iron skillet is the high temperature at which you can cook which is usually hard to achieve without having restaurant equipment. 

With Salmon the cast iron skillet allows us to cook quickly and get a really nice crisp outside and perfectly cooked inside usually cooked to about a medium medium-rare temperature.  This allows the salmon to literally melt in your mouth.

In this recipe, we use Coho Salmon.  Coho Salmon is from Alaska and wild-caught.  Many Atlantic Salmon are farmed.  Alaska caught wild Salmon just tastes better and it just doesn’t have all the things that come with farm-raised fish like antibiotics and hormones.

Seared Salmon Recipe Equipment:

  • Cast Iron Skillet
  • Stove or Grill

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 8 oz Coho Salmon filets
  • 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • Seasalt and Pepper
  • A little Cajun Seasoning

How to prepare

Remove your salmon from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before you begin to prepare your recipe.  Allowing the salmon to come closer to room temperature.  Room temperature salmon prevents the fish from sticking to your skillet and allows your fish to cook more evenly.

After the salmon has been out for 15 minutes simply take a dry paper towel and pat down both sides of the fish to remove excess condensation and water.  You don’t want any excess water on your fish as you are technically frying your fish in olive oil.  The water will prevent the cooking process. Also, less water on your salmon will help the olive coat the fish and the seasoning to stick to your fish. 

Rub both sides of the fish with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.  And add your salt and pepper to both sides.  I like to add a little cajun seasoning to bring out extra taste and flavor. 

Salmon Recipe
Marinated Salmon

Prepare your cast iron skillet by turning the heat on your stove or grill to medium-high.  I like to allow the pan to heat up for 1-2 minutes then add a thin layer (1-2 oz) of olive oil to the bottom of the cast-iron skillet.  Give your olive oil about 3-5 minutes to heat up.  Once you start to see a little smoke from your olive oil it is time to add the Salmon.

Seared Salmon Recipe

Simply Seared Salmon Recipe in a Cast Iron Skillet

Yield: 2
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2-4 8 oz Coho Salmon filets
  • 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • Seasalt and Pepper
  • A little Cajun Seasoning

Instructions

  1. Pat down with a paper towel on both sides of the fish to remove excess condensation and water. 
  2. Rub both sides of the fish with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.  And add your salt and pepper to both sides.
  3. Heat up the pan for 1-2 minutes then add a thin layer (1-2 oz) of olive oil to the bottom of the cast-iron skillet.  Give olive oil about 3-5 minutes to heat up.  Once you start to see a little smoke from your olive oil it is time to add the Salmon.
  4. Allow the Salmon to cook for 4 minutes.  Then flip to the other side, skin side down for 4 minutes. 

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If you are cooking Salmon with the skin on it then cook the first side of your Salmon skin side up. 

Seared Salmon
Fry Salmon on Cast Iron Skillet

Allow the Salmon to cook for 4 minutes.  Then flip to the other side, skin side down for 4 minutes. 

Cast Iron Skillet
Turn on Salmon

When flipping your salmon be careful that your fish does not fall apart.  Usually, a good silicone spatula will get the trick done.  I will also occasionally use a fork in conjunction with the spatula just to ensure the spatula slides under the fish on the first try.

 Served Seared Salmon Recipe

Salmon can be cooked and prepared in so many ways.  This is one of our favorites because of the beautiful golden-brown crust and delicious flavorful meat on the inside.  This recipe is perfect for a quick healthy dinner.  We like to eat this with some superfoods like avocado, kale, or broccoli. 

You can also serve your seared salmon recipe with a little slice of lemon.  The acid in the lemon enhances the flavor and adds a nice finish.

About Author: Vince from BeyondYard, a site all about grilling and backyard fun. Visit to get some more grilling recipes, tips, and reviews.

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Sultana Parvin, the owner of this site (sultanarecipe.com) is a passionate recipe builder with thorough knowledge of food, nutrition, and dietary needs for people of different ages and different physical conditions. She has contributed her creative recipes to different food and recipe sites, e-books, and magazines. Sultana is widely experienced on different menu and food courses. With her amazing cooking expertise and innovative ideas, she has been writing various food recipes, particularly those Bangladeshi and Indian traditional main and side dishes like: vegetarian, chicken, meat, fish, desert, rice, noodles, cakes, cookies, soup, smoothies etc. Sultana possesses in depth knowledge on foods’ nutrition value and other relevant contents, such as calorie, carbohydrate, fat, sugar, fiber, sodium, protein etc. of a wide variety of food items. In addition to the taste of food items, Sultana analyses psychology and taste of different categories and ages of people while developing her food recipes. Publications of Sultana Parvin: Sultana wrote a number of Recipe Books, among those following recipe books have been published in Amazon.com: ** Yummy Vegetable Recipes: Delicious Indian Vegetable Dishes ** Authentic Indian Vegetable Dishes **30 Diabetic and Heart Healthy Indian Food Recipes with Nutritional Detail Sultana edited a famous recipe book, namely “Flavors of India and Africa” written by Khatun Gulamani of California, USA.