Description
With a simple marinade and delightfully crispy crust, this Asian Sesame Crusted Salmon is a recipe you’ll want to savor every last perfectly flaky bite of. Pair it with Asian slaw for a complete, paleo, Whole30-friendly meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Sesame Dressing/Marinade (makes about 3/4 cup – you will have some leftover)
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced or pureed fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil as a backup)
- 2 tbsp each toasted sesame oil, coconut aminos (or low sodium tamari*), lime juice and rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey (totally optional – swap for a pinch of stevia if you prefer, or omit entirely if doing Whole30)
For the salmon
- 2 skin-on sockeye salmon fillets, about 160g each (raw weight)
- 1/4 cup dressing/marinade from recipe above
- black + white sesame seeds
The rest
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 2 cups sliced or diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup combination of roughly torn mint, basil and cilantro
- 1 scallion, sliced thinly, white and light green parts
- 1 package dried seaweed salad (I used SeaSnax SeaVegi, which comes in 25g packets), rehydrated in about 1/2 cup hot water
- 1/2 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
- pickled ginger and lime wedges, both optional, to serve
Instructions
- In a glass jar, shake all the ingredients for the dressing vigorously until well incorporated.
- Measure out 1/4 cup of the dressing and place it in a resealable bag, along with the salmon. Seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (but if possible, let it marinate for 4-8 hours for the best flavour!)
- Prepare all ingredients for the slaw (cabbage, cucumber, herbs, scallion, rehydrated seaweed) as directed above. Toss them together in a bowl along with a few tablespoons of dressing. This can be done either in advance, or when you’re cooking the salmon if you prefer.
- When ready to cook, mist a frying pan with avocado oil and let it heat up for 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile dredge the fleshy side of the salmon fillets in sesame seeds.
- Place the salmon sesame-side-down into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip and continue cooking another 3-4 minutes, or until completely cooked throughout. (This may take a little longer if your fillets are thick.)
- Remove the salmon from the pan and let it sit to cool slightly.
- Distribute the slaw between two bowls. Carefully remove the skin on the salmon (if on), then place a fillet in each bowl on top of the slaw.
- Serve with avocado and pickled ginger, with extra dressing on the side if needed.
Notes
Note that coconut aminos are Whole30 compliant, but tamari and soy sauce are not.
- Prep Time: 15 mins + marinating
- Cook Time: 8 mins
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: paleo, whole30, salmon, healthy salmon recipes, gluten free, dinner, lunch, Asian, sesame, dairy free, anti-inflammatory