In my salmon with green sauce, salmon fillets are rubbed with spices, pan-seared until the skin is crisp, and finished with a bright, herb-packed salsa verde — an easy weeknight dinner that’s sure to please any salmon lover.
As part of my move toward more Mediterranean-style cooking, this salmon recipe is a favorite: quick, flavorful, and healthy. I’ve featured cod a lot on the blog, so I wanted to spotlight another versatile fish. These are wild salmon fillets — my preferred choice — and they pair beautifully with a crisp sear and a lively green sauce.
This dish centers on two elements: perfectly crispy skin and a flavorful green sauce. The searing method I use is based on a technique popularized by Serious Eats, which reliably delivers crisp skin and tender flesh. For the sauce I blended Italian-style salsa verde influences with a few additions: scallion, basil, parsley, lemon juice, a touch of tahini for creaminess, and anchovy for savory depth. The result is bright, herbaceous, and slightly creamy — an ideal match for the rich salmon.
How to Make Salmon With Green Sauce
Start by making the green sauce. A food processor is perfect for this: add garlic, scallions, parsley, basil, tahini, lemon juice, one anchovy, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse to roughly chop, then process while slowly drizzling in the olive oil until you reach a smooth, thick consistency. Taste and adjust: add more anchovy or tahini if you want a bolder umami or creamier texture, and season to your preference. Strong ingredients like garlic, tahini, and anchovy can be added gradually to avoid overpowering the sauce.
Once the sauce is ready, prepare the salmon. Pat fillets dry, check for bones, and cut into portions. Mix the spice rub — cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper — and sprinkle it over both sides of each fillet. Heat a heavy skillet (I use cast iron) with olive oil over medium-high until shimmering, then reduce slightly. Place the fillets skin-side down and press gently for a few seconds to ensure contact with the pan. Cook skin-side down until the skin is deeply golden and crispy and the flesh reaches about 110–120°F, typically 5–7 minutes for one-inch fillets. Flip and sear the flesh side briefly — about 30 seconds to a minute — depending on how browned you like the top and how well-cooked you prefer the fish.
Transfer the fillets to a serving plate and serve with the green sauce alongside or spooned over the salmon. It’s an elegant, fast meal: bright herb sauce, crisp skin, and tender, juicy fish.
Farmed vs. Wild Salmon
The wild versus farmed salmon debate touches nutrition, contaminants, and environmental effects. Wild salmon tends to be leaner with a different fat profile, while farmed salmon often contains more total fat and more saturated fat, though it can have higher omega-3 content. Farmed fish may also carry higher levels of contaminants like PCBs, and some aquaculture operations can have environmental downsides. For those reasons, I choose wild salmon when possible and look for responsibly managed sources to enjoy its flavor and benefits in moderation.
Pairing a good sear with a bright herb sauce makes wild salmon feel like a special meal any night of the week.
Other Recipes You Might Like
- Pan Seared Cod with a Caper, Parsley, and Lemon Sauce
- Mediterranean Cod with Mixed Vegetables
- Oven Fried Cod with Cara Cara Oranges
- Cod Baked with Lemons and Potatoes
If you try this salmon with green sauce, I’d love to hear how it goes — your tweaks, timing, or tasting notes. Happy searing!
– Happy Searing, Annemarie
Print Recipe
Crispy Seared Salmon with Green Sauce
Ingredients
Green Sauce
- 1 medium clove garlic, chopped
- 2 scallions, roughly chopped
- 2 cups packed parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup packed basil leaves
- 1-3 anchovy fillets
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Salmon
- 1 1/4 lb wild salmon fillet, approximately
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Green Sauce
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Add garlic, scallions, parsley, basil, one anchovy fillet, and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped, then process while slowly pouring in the olive oil until the sauce is smooth.
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Taste and add more anchovy or tahini if desired. Adjust salt and pepper, then scrape the sauce into a bowl.
Salmon
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Remove any bones and pat the salmon dry. Cut into four portions and rub with the spice mixture.
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Heat oil in a cast iron skillet until shimmering. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the fillets skin-side down, pressing briefly to ensure contact with the pan.
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Cook skin-side down 5–7 minutes (for ~1-inch fillets) until skin is crispy and the flesh reaches 110–120°F. Flip and sear the flesh side 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on desired doneness.
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Transfer salmon to a plate and serve with the green sauce.
Notes
- For 1-inch-thick fillets, cook about 6 minutes skin-side down and 1 minute on the flesh side for a medium result.
- If you want a more deeply seared top, increase the flesh-side sear time; the Serious Eats method sears the flesh very briefly, but a longer sear creates a more golden crust.
- Pack parsley firmly into the measuring cup to ensure a bright, thick sauce.
