Sauteed Salmon with Creamy Leeks and Tomatoes Recipe
Salmon
is truly a lifesaver for harried weeknight cooks. Now I suppose that means most of us, most of
the week. But there’s another great plus to cooking salmon. That is when you need something to start cooking
only when the last family member walks in the door. This entire dinner took all
of 20 minutes to put together. It relies
on sautéing the fish on the stove top, at the same time that you make a
creamy-rich ‘sauce’ of the leeks. The fish takes all of 4 minutes to cook if you
like your salmon medium rare, 2 minutes more for well-done fish. Once the fish is done, the ripe ‘tomatoes on
the vine’ take a swim in lemon juice in the fish pan. I served the fish on a bed of baby spinach
that was sautéed in a non-stick pan at the same time as the fish. What you end up with is the delicate
sweetness of salmon, creamy-rich leeks and tart red tomatoes combined in a dish
that’s as appealingly colorful as it is great tasting.
I chose this on a night that Andrew was coming
home late. I waited until I saw the
whites of his eyes. But he asked for a
few minutes to call a client. I was
convinced the call was ending and started the dish. Much to my chagrin, the call had not ended
and this dinner cooked so quickly, I thought we were in for a lukewarm version,
that’s how fast it is to prepare. 6
- ounces of salmon is about as much as you need per person. Mine, from Trader Joe’s, weighed in at a
- pound. As to the leeks, you’ll find
- already trimmed ones at TJ’s as well. And finally, the smallest size ‘tomatoes
- on the vine’ were pressed into service but any tomato will do—as long as they
- are perfectly ripe. In winter here, the only reliable tomatoes are the smallest
- of them—grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and these called “Pearls” which are of
- Mexican origin. Here is my recipe:
- Sautéed Salmon with Creamy Leeks and Tomatoes Serves 2. Takes 20
- minutes to make.
- 2 boneless Salmon filets about 6
- oz. a piece
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 Leek, well trimmed and sliced to
- 1/8’ inch thick rounds
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 4 or 5 Pearl Tomatoes on the vine
- or substitute any ripe tomato
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 6 oz of baby spinach sautéed
1. Start with the fish at room
temperature. This will cut the cooking
time down drastically. Check to see if
there are any ‘pin’ bones in your salmon and remove any with tweezers,
discarding them. Generously sprinkle the fish with salt and freshly-ground
pepper.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the
butter and once it has foamed add the leeks and gently cook them until they are
soft, but not browned.
Add the cream, stir to combine with
the leeks and then turn off the heat.
In a separate non-stick skillet,
drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil. Put the baby spinach into the pan and cook
the spinach over low heat, covered. Once
it has wilted, turn off the burner and reserve the spinach.
Heat 2 tbsp. of Olive Oil in a second
nonstick skillet over moderately high heat. Add the salmon filets skin side
down. Cook two minutes, then flip the fish and cook a further two minutes for
medium rare, four for well done salmon.
Transfer the fish to a warm plate. Add the tomatoes and lemon juice to
the salmon sauté pan and cook for just a minute.
3. Put a layer of spinach on each
plate. Put a salmon filet on the spinach. Spoon the Creamy Leeks over the top
of the salmon and put the tomatoes on top of that. Serve at once.