Spiced Salmon with Sugar Snap Peas

 

With fresh Snap Peas in season and Wild Salmon available it was the perfect season to make this dish. 

Spiced Salmon with Sugar Snap Peas and Red Onion

New York Times

 

Seared sugar snap peas and red onions make a sweet accompaniment to silky salmon fillets in this lovely springtime one-pan meal. The salmon fillets, coated in a garlicky spice blend, are briefly browned, leaving fragrant, savory drippings in the pan. Those drippings then season the vegetables, infusing them as they cook. Keep an eye on the salmon, especially if you prefer it on the rare side. Thin fillets in particular are all too easy to overcook.

 

Ingredients

 

4       tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2       garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

1       teaspoon baharat spice blend , or use another warm and earthy spice blend, such as garam masala

4       (6- to 8-ounce) salmon fillets

Kosher salt and black pepper

2       medium red onions

1       pound sugar snap peas (4 cups)

 Lime wedges

½      cup chopped fresh cilantro or mint leaves and tender stems

 

Preparation

 

1.            Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and baharat. Season salmon all over with salt and black pepper. Rub spice mixture all over salmon. Set salmon aside while slicing the onions and sugar snap peas.

2.            Cut the onions in half root-to-stem, then peel them and slice into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons. Trim the peas and cut them in half crosswise.

3.            In a large, preferably nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Add fish, skin-side down if there’s skin, and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer salmon to a plate, browned-side up. (Don’t sear the other side; the salmon will finish cooking in the oven.)

4.            Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Stir in onions and cook until lightly golden, 3 minutes. Add snap peas and a pinch each of salt and pepper, stirring everything to coat with pan juices. Cook until peas have softened and browned slightly, 5 to 7 minutes. Put salmon, browned-side up, on top of peas and transfer pan to the oven. Roast until fish is just cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes longer.

5.            Squeeze a little lime juice over salmon and transfer fish to serving plates. Stir herbs into peas and onions. Taste, and add more salt and lime juice, if needed. Serve with the salmon, with the lime wedges on the side.