Mary Berg’s Easy Seared Salmon

As celebrity chef Mary Berg explains in her book In Mary’s Kitchen: Stress-Free Recipes for Every Home Cook, small hacks can make all the difference when you just want to get dinner on the table – and don’t want to sacrifice flavour for speed. “Even though I love cooking, I take every opportunity I can to find shortcuts in the kitchen. From using food processors for prep to taking grocery store shortcuts, I really do believe there are no wrong moves if it’s going to get you to enjoy making food for yourself, your friends, and your family,” Berg writes. “In this recipe, one sauce does twice the work. Half acts as a marinade for fresh salmon fillets while the rest is used to dress a crisp and crunchy salad reminiscent of a takeout sushi side.”

Mary Berg's Easy Seared Salmon

Mary Berg's easy seared salmon served with a carrot-ginger salad reminiscent of the classic takeout sushi side.

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Course Main Course

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 medium carrot peeled and finely grated
• 1 green onion finely chopped
• 3 tbsp finely grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove finely grated
• ½ cup rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp honey
• ¼ cup sesame oil
• ½ cup + 2 tsp canola oil divided
• 4 salmon fillets about 5 oz each
• 1-2 romaine hearts
• ½ cucumber thinly sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

Instructions

 

• In a bowl or large jar, combine the carrot, green onion, ginger, garlic and vinegar. Add the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and ½ cup of the canola oil and whisk or shake well to emulsify.
• Pour half of the dressing into a shallow dish or freezer bag and add the salmon, tossing to coat and arranging flesh side down, if using a shallow dish. Cover and place in the fridge, along with the remaining dressing, for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour (see note).
• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the salmon from the marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Add the remaining 2 tsp of canola oil to the pan and sear the salmon, flesh side down, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Set aside to rest while you prepare the salad.
• Tear or chop the romaine and add it to a large bowl along with the cucumber and tomatoes. Dress to your liking with the remaining dressing and serve alongside the seared salmon.

Notes

Delicate proteins like fish marinate super quickly, especially when an acid like vinegar or citrus is involved, so keep it to 1 hour or less. If you want to get ahead, you can marinate the fresh fish, then remove from the marinade, dry off the outside, cover and store in the fridge for up to 1 day.

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Excerpted from In Mary’s Kitchen by Mary Berg. Copyright © 2023 Mary Berg. Photographs by Lauren Vandenbrook. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.