TAKE A PIECE OF SALMON, dredge it in almond meal, parsley, and lemon zest, fry it until the crust turns crisp and golden, and what do you get? My fabulously-fragrant, gluten-free version of Salmon Almondine.
Almond meal is nothing more than blanched almonds, ground into a flour, or “meal.” If my low-end Hannaford sells the product, your high-end Piggly Wiggly probably does, too. Otherwise, it’s available at health food stores and, of course, at Amazon.com. Or, if you are feeling energetic, you can buy blanched almonds, and grind them yourself.
Enough chit-chat. Let’s make this lemony Salmon Almondine already!
Take some fresh, flat-leaved parsley…
And finely chop it up.
Then grasp a particularly handsome lemon, and zest it.
Pour some almond meal in a pie plate…
Mix in the parsley…
And the lemon zest…
And some kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Although I don’t grind my own almonds, I do grind my own pepper. Why? Because the freshly-ground stuff is infinitely more “peppery” than the stale, canned, already-ground version.
Amen.
Heat some butter and a little olive oil in a large, heavy skillet (such as well-seasoned cast-iron) set over a medium flame.
No picture of this next step, because I forgot to take one: Grab a salmon fillet (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lbs), its skin removed by either you or your fish monger. You can leave it whole, or cut it into four equal serving-portions. I left mine whole, and sliced it after I cooked it.
Brush the fillet with a beaten egg…
And then nestle the fish in the plate of almond meal. Gently press the flesh down to help the crumbs adhere.
Then flip the fish, and coat the other side.
Gently lay the fillet in the hot fat, and leave it there (don’t fiddle with it) until the crust turns a beautiful shade of brown — about 5 minutes. Then flip the salmon and let it cook for another 5 minutes. You want the salmon to be cooked through, but not over-cooked. Its interior should be pink, not white.
Transfer this beautiful, crusted creature to a platter, and, if you wish, surround it with lemon slices and some arugula or mesclun greens.
And if you didn’t cut the fish into serving portions before you fried it, perform the task now.
For a simple supper in front of a roaring fire, my partner and I enjoyed this fish along with small roasted potatoes, a handful of mesclun greens, and several goblets of fruity Sauvignon blanc. We both thought the salmon’s lemony, almond-y, mouth-wateringly crunchy crust was out of this world.
Think you’ll try this perfect-for-a-weeknight deliciousness? Perhaps you can let me know by leaving a comment.
And here’s a printer-friendly, copy-and-paste version of the above:
Salmon Almondine
Kevin Lee Jacobs/A Garden for the House
Ingredients for 4 generous servings
1/2 cup almond meal
2 Tablespoons finely-chopped flat-leaved parsley
Zest of one lemon
Seasonings: 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 generous tablespoon olive oil
1 egg, well-beaten in a small bowl
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 salmon fillet, skin removedIn a pie plate, mix together the parsley, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and almond meal.
In a large, heavy skillet (well-seasoned cast-iron preferred), heat the butter and oil over a medium flame.
Brush the fillet with the beaten egg.
Lay the salmon in the almond mixture, and gently press it down to help the almonds and seasonings adhere. Flip the fish to coat its other side.
Set the fish in the hot skillet, and leave it there until the crust browns — about 5 minutes. Then flip, and cook for another 5 minutes. Cooking time will be longer for a particularly thick fillet.Transfer the fish to a platter, surround it with slices (or wedges) or lemon, and then cut the fish into four equal portions.
Serve at once with small roasted potatoes, handfuls of salad greens, and copious quantities of fruity Sauvignon blanc.
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Kim R says
I’ll skip the Canola oil (it’s still GMO, even if organic) but the rest of it sounds wonderful! As usual, great recipe. Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Thank you, Kevin!
MaryAnn Quinn says
Sounds delish! I make my own almond meal by grinding almonds. And ditto to Kim R. I don’t use canola oil anymore.
Momo says
I make this with salmon, whitefish and chicken (boneless breast or thighs). I do, however, keep blanched almonds in the freezer and grind them in my “spare” coffee grinder. I add other herbs and/or spices as my mood dictates. Sometimes my mood dictates some freshly micro-planed parmesan or romano cheese.
Annie B says
Sounds good…maybe with another kind of fish! Thanks, Kevin.
John says
Very much like I’ve made for years. I sometimes omit the egg wash, and it works well but doesn’t stick quite as well.
Your photos look good. Makes me think I’d like to try some tonight. Thanks.
Arden Rembert Brink says
Sounds great and I have some wild-caught salmon on hand, and recently bought some almond meal (as we’re gluten-free, at least for a while) so glad for this recipe! Oh, and about the canola oil — I, too, have tended to stay away from it based on concerns about GMOs and chemicals in the processing, but it needs to be noted that, in fact, *organic* canola oil CANNOT be GMO, and if it’s expeller pressed has also avoided the hexane problem. So, like with so many things, it pays to go beyond the *simple* answer and dig a little further. Of course, since your recipe never mentions canola oil, hard to know how we even got into this discussion. 😉 And that IS a particularly handsome lemon!
Sherlie Magaret says
Wow, this looks soooooooooo yummy, I cant wait to try it.
Gretchen says
Talk about a “MUST TRY” dish, this is it. Salmon is my number one favorite of all and I’m still droolong from reading the recipe. Kevin, you’re the greatest!! thank you for this treasure.
Joy says
Oh so yummy looking! Can’t wait to try this. I too ground almonds but don’t bother with the blanching step, just grind them raw with skins on. Thanks for posting!
Trudi Dido says
Arden, I laughed out loud at your noticing that canola oil was never mentioned in the recipe! I had to go back to be positive and sure enough… it says butter!
Valerie C. says
It looks so good! I still have much to learn and have never used almond meal. It’s on the shopping list for this week! Thanks 🙂
Jane says
As others have mentioned — and it’s important to emphasize this — no product can be both organic and GMO. The rules for organic certification explicitly prohibit the use of GMO anything.
The recipe sounds and looks fabulous, and next time I get up to town, I will definitely pick up some salmon to try it. (I have almond flour in my fridge for some reason, don’t remember why!)
Linda says
This sounds wonderful! I am absolutely going to try it and soon.
It is salmon season here in the northwest. Sad to say, I am not fond of salmon. I know it is quite a healthful fish to eat, so I am always looking for simple and easy ways to make it more palatable to my tastes. Hub loves salmon in any form. Thanks for this fresh, creative recipe.
Shirley says
I am not a fan of salmon (hate it, actually), but I try it every couple of years because it’s supposed to be so good for us and because other people look like they’re really enjoying it and because I keep hoping my taste buds will finally decide to like it, too. Well, it must be time to try it again because your pictures make it look pretty good. I’ll give it a go Monday or Tuesday.
Love your site, Kevin; you do a beautiful job with it.
Joyce says
This looks so yummy. We get great salmon here in the NW. I am always looking for a new way to prepare it. This looks like I could do this! Thanks for all the great recipes you share. Waiting for a cookbook with all of these so I have them in one place!
Arden Rembert Brink says
Just a note for you non-salmon eaters — this same recipe works fine on other fish! Despite having planned to use it on salmon tonight, somehow I ended up with cod and it was still great. (And, Kevin, don’t know if you’ve discovered this, but Hannaford — at least, ours in Maine, some years ago — had a GREAT “captain’s cut” of cod that I’ve never found anywhere else, but it was thick, cooked up spectacularly into thick “flakes” and was SO good. Try it if you haven’t!) In any case, the cod was yummy with this crust on it. Great recipe, as always.
–arden–
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Arden – I’ve only tried this almond-mixture on salmon. So glad to hear it is wonderful with other fish, too.
Josie says
Kevin you make everything look so good. I’ll have to give this a try thanks for the recipes.
Tina Neyer says
Hi Kevin, I made the salmon almondine tonight and it is perhaps one of the yummiest preparations for salmon that I’ve had in a long time. I made shallots and zucchini as a side and had the Tuscan Cecina with it. I have to work on perfecting the cecina, since it didn’t have the consistency that I expected. I thought it would be a bit more stable than it was. Still very tasty. I spread chive pesto over the little squares.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Tina – So glad the salmon worked out for you. Your sides sound wonderful! About cecina: the first time I made it, the bread developed a crack. Subsequent batches were perfect — the bread was smooth, flexible, delicious.
Michelle says
This shall be our Valentine’s night dinner! I do think I’ll use coconut oil though…I’ve steered away from cooking with olive oil. ‘They’ say to use it only cold. Something about high heat stability. Yum…looking forward, with thanks!
Linda Reynolds says
Made this for Valentine’s dinner. It was fantastic! I made my own almond meal, or at least I just ran almonds throught a blender. Love it!
Thanks for sharing!
Connie says
Just made this for dinner–fast and delicious! I happened to have almond flour in the GF supplies I keep to cook for my GF son-in-law and granddaughter. Using zest in the dredge really helps keep the citrus flavor alive!
Bettie says
At Last!!! Thank you for a GRAIN FREE recipe that looks fabulous!