Beautifully seasoned, tender, pan-fried salmon nestled in a bed of creamy orzo with lemon and
parmesan. This feels like a really special dinner yet it's cooked in extra quick time
and all made in one pan with no need to pre-cook the orzo. Hi I'm Nicky, welcome back to our kitchen
where we show you how to make delicious family-friendly recipes. I do try to get fish
into the family at least once a week and salmon tends to be my go-to because everyone loves it.
I'm also using orzo in this dish as an alternative to risotto because it cooks in extra quick time,
so let's get cooking. I've got four lovely salmon fillets here for my family of four but you can
scale this recipe up or down depending on how many you're cooking for, so we're going to start by
seasoning that salmon. In a small bowl mix together a pinch each of salt and garlic salt, a quarter of
a teaspoon of black pepper, an eighth of a teaspoon of paprika and half a teaspoon of dried parsley.
We're going to sprinkle that mixture on top of the salmon and pat it down so it sticks.
Now heat two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of unsalted butter
in a frying pan over a medium to high heat.
Now add the salmon to the pan skin side up so the seasoning is hitting the oil,
cook for three to four minutes until the salmon is golden brown,
then remove the salmon from the pan and place on a plate skin side down.
It doesn't matter that the salmon isn't fully cooked through at this point
because we're going to continue cooking the salmon in the orzo shortly.
Turn the heat down to medium and add two cloves of minced garlic to the pan.
Cook for 30 seconds stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn, now add 230 grams, which is
about a cup plus two tablespoons, of dried orzo to the pan and stir it together with the garlic.
Then add in 480 ml, which is about two cups, of chicken stock and stir again.
Now we're going to nestle the salmon fillets into the orzo, skin side down
so they can continue cooking with the orzo.
So we're going to let that simmer now for about eight to nine minutes stirring occasionally
until the orzo is al dente and the salmon is cooked through. You'll need to move the
salmon with a set of tongs so you can stir the orzo underneath so it doesn't stick to the pan.
After about eight minutes add in 60 ml, which is quarter of a cup, of double or heavy cream plus 75
grams, which is three quarters of a cup, of grated parmesan and the zest and juice of half a lemon.
We're also going to add in a quarter of a teaspoon
of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper to the orzo and stir it all together.
Then turn the heat off and you're ready to serve. Sprinkle on chopped parsley and a little black
pepper and then arrange some lemon wedges in the pan and serve. I love to place this down on the
table just the way it is and let everyone grab a plate gather round and dig in. If you like this
recipe you're going to love my 15 minute honey garlic butter baked salmon see you over there.