There’s no fish better than a fresh salmon – it feels so luxurious, it has an amazing flavour and a flaky texture. This Blood Orange Salmon has a perfectly balanced sweet and savory taste and it’s made in only one pan suitable for a quick dinner night dish. In addition, this buttery and juicy piece of fish is served with delicious, crisp and bright green pan-seared asparagus. This side dish is not only healthy, but also super easy to make. You could add a yoghurt garlic dip and you’ve got yourself a pretty impressive main course.
How to cook juicy Blood Orange Salmon
Salmon is one of my favourite fish, I love the texture, flavour, amazing color and the fact that it has almost no bones – it’s easier to eat than most types of fish. Also, it’s really easy to cook it to perfection and quite hard to mess up, you just have to follow the instructions. The blood orange glaze pairs incredibly with the salmon, it brightens the flavour and adds sweetness.
- Make the blood orange glaze. Combine blood orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, honey, ginger and apple cider vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil it for 3-4 minutes or until it thickens and reduces by half.
- Coat salmon with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the blood orange glaze over the salmon and place blood orange slices on top.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until opaque and flaky. Broil for 2-3 minutes until the top caramelises.
- Serve with crisp pan-roasted asparagus and extra blood orange slices.
How to prepare crisp Asparagus
On the other hand, the texture of the asparagus can go from crisp to chewy and mushy really fast. That’s why you should be careful not to overcook it. The bottom ends should be snapped off, they’re tough and woody.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet.
- Add asparagus and coat in the fat, then cover with a lid.
- Cook for 3 minutes or until bright green and crisp.
- Remove the lid and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sear for 3-4 minutes or until golden-brown, stirring frequently.
You could also add some grated Parmesan cheese at the end for extra flavour. Plus, cheese is always a great idea.
Blood Orange Salmon with Asparagus
Ingredients
For the Blood Orange Salmon
- 1 lb salmon (2 fillets)
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 blood orange sliced
- ⅓ cup blood orange juice freshly squeezed
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp fresh ginger grated
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- black pepper freshly ground
- salt
For the Asparagus
- 1 lb asparagus bottom ends trimmed
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- black pepper freshly ground
- salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat add blood orange juice, garlic clove, honey, soy sauce, ginger and apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half.
- Pour the sauce over the salmon fillets, place blood orange slices over the salmon and bake for 10-15 minutes or until opaque and flaky. Broil 2-3 minutes until caramelised on top. Turn blood orange slices halfway through baking if they start to burn.
- While the salmon is in the oven, prepare the asparagus. In a large skillet over medium-high heat add olive oil and butter. Add asparagus and coat in the fat. Cover and cook until bright green and crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the lid, turn heat to high and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sear asparagus until golden-brown, about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Garnish with extra blood orange slices.
