We all like those simple meals that have staple ingredients! For staple ingredients, I almost always have citrus and usually fennel in my house. This salmon simmered with fennel makes a perfect weekday meal, as it comes together quickly.
The salmon cooks beautifully, starting with a bit of searing and then simmering for a few minutes before moving to the oven. Served with a simple green salad. It doesn’t need much. Just a simple vegetable. Together with the gluten free pasta, it’s a complete meal.
Gluten free pasta
I chose a gluten free pasta is one that we like, Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Tagliatelle Pasta. It’s a reasonably priced choice for a gluten free pasta. I like to keep this one stocked in our pantry. It cooks in just about 9 or 10 minutes. Just keep it on the al dente side so it doesn’t turn mushy.
Gluten free pasta has sure come a long way! There are now many brands of gluten free pasta that are good tasting and cook well. Probably the one you’ve heard me speak of the most is Le Veneziane.
Le Veneziane make many types of pasta: my personal favorites are their capellini nests or their rigatoni. You can find them on Amazon. The capellini nests would be a perfect base for the Salmon Simmered with Fennel and Citrus, while their rigatoni is a favorite for serving with Bolognese or a thick red sauce or even a pasta bake. Their lasagna noodles cook wonderfully and don’t require a par cook.
Salmon recipes
Our goal is to eat a fair amount of seafood and fish lately. With that in mind, it’s often in the refrigerator or freezer here. Because of this, I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy it.
We have our favorite recipes for salmon. The first, may be our Pomegranate Glazed Salmon (Gluten Free). The pomegranate glaze, being slightly sweet, causes the sugars in the glaze to bake or grill so perfectly. The salmon with the deep colored sauce, as well, looks magical on the plate. It’s such a pretty fall or winter entree. We look forward to making this salmon again, now that we are in pomegranate season again!
Our firecracker salmon, potentially a strong contender for the second position, offers a vibrant flavor profile that beautifully complements the inherent taste of the salmon. I recommend pairing this dish with sides such as sautéed bok choy or seared green beans with garlic. Additionally, a simple Jasmine rice would serve as an excellent accompaniment. Given the rich flavors of the salmon, an elaborate side dish is not necessary. Maybe choose to plate with some edible flowers like I did here, or simply plate with sesame seeds, green onion or chives, and orange slices.
On this particular night, I remembered one recipe which I haven’t made for a bit. I was looking for a salmon recipe with some sauce to serve over a bed of gluten free pasta. This Salmon Simmered with Fennel and Citrus recipe fit the bill and dinner was served in about 35 minutes!
A new favorite brand of olive oil
As I started to make this Salmon Simmered with Fennel and Citrus, I began with my new favorite olive oil. Garcia de la Cruz Robust & Balanced Extra Virgin Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil drizzled across the cast iron. The bold yet not overpowering flavor is perfect. This olive oil has such great flavor! Not bitter or too strong, it’s a perfect balance of flavor.
Garcia de la Cruz has received many awards for their olive oils and other products. They’ve also been producing olive oil and other products for over 150 years! That is pretty impressive!
Recently, I received a gift of a few of their olive oils and their extra virgin olive oil spray. I’m looking forward to trying their olive oil and other products in more of my recipes.
Using olive oil in cakes
With the mild extra virgin olive oil, I made some Gingerbread Pumpkin Cupcakes. Using olive oil in cakes has been something I do often. Sometimes I use about half of the amount in vegetable or canola oil and half olive oil. But honestly, sometimes when you bake with olive oil, the cake may taste too strongly of olive oil.
The Gingerbread Pumpkin Cupcakes turned out perfectly. The olive oil flavor was not too strong at all. We ended up with a much healthier cake, with healthier fats, while the cake also tasted delicious.
Favorite dishes (and olive oil uses)
Paella was another dish I recently sampled the Garcia de la Cruz Olive Oil in. I’m always excited to make paella; it’s been a favorite dish since traveling to Spain about 10 years ago. The crispy rice, the saffron and light smoky flavors, the meats or seafood, and the vegetables, I love it all!
When I think of paella, I think of an incredibly versatile dish. This is apparent by the paella restaurants in Spain having literally ten to fifteen, or even more different types! You can literally add whatever you like to the dish, from meats, and seafoods, to vegetables. A few requirements that I find necessary is to use paella rice and a good quality saffron for the traditional taste.
Salmon in it’s butter sauce
Okay, we’re going back to where we started, with our delicate flaky salmon with tender and subtle fennel flavors and slightly bolder citrus flavors. I’ve always loved fennel. Even eating it raw as a kid. Also, I loved licorice, which has a similar flavor. If you don’t love it, it’s honestly not too strong in this dish. The sauteing with the garlic and shallots if you use them, is a perfect blend of flavors.
The sauce has a rich buttery taste. You could even add a splash of cream, if desired. Or maybe some artichoke hearts. I hope you enjoy our Salmon Simmered with Fennel and Citrus if you try it!
~ Laura
Salmon Simmered with Fennel and Citrus (Gluten Free)
Equipment
- 1 large cast iron or oven safe skillet to 400 degrees F
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon, cut into 2 or 3 pieces, rinsed and dried with paper towels, and lightly salted and peppered
- 1 tbsp Garcia de la Cruz Robust and Balanced Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ large fennel bulb, thinly sliced or use a mandoline for even more uniform thin slices
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- ½ shallot, finely minced optional
- ½ lemon, 1/2 sliced, 1/2 juiced
- ½ mandarin, 1/2 sliced, 1/2 juiced
- 3-4 tbsp unsalted butter or dairy free butter
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- crushed red pepper, gf
- salt to taste the sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. In a saucepan, bring some water to a boil with a pinch or two of salt.
- Heat a cast iron or oven safe skillet (to 400℉). Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add fennel, garlic, and shallot (if using). Stir and sauté until starting to brown lightly, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a dish.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet. Next add the salmon pieces, top side down to the skillet. Sear over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Gently turn the pieces over. Add several lemon and orange slices to the top of the salmon pieces. Next add the fennel, garlic, and shallots back in, followed by the butter, white wine, lemon and orange juice, crushed red pepper, plus a pinch of salt. Simmer for a few minutes before moving to the oven.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Cook for 6-9 minutes or until the desired temperature of salmon is reached.
- While the salmon is cooking, add your favorite gluten pasta to the boiling water. Cook until desired doneness. Drain, rinse and add a drizzle of olive oil.
- Plate the pasta first. Remove any lemon or orange peels from the sauce. Spoon some sauce over the pasta. Add the salmon to each bowl. Divide the remaining sauce over the salmon and pasta. Top with crushed red pepper, if desired. Add fresh parsley or basil to finish.
Notes
While this meal is really quick and easy, it’s also very delicious! It seems a bit elevated somehow. I’m always up for salmon and the poached like salmon, simmered and then moved to the oven to finish cooking makes for a wonderful weekday meal.