Garlic Butter Pan Roasted Salmon with Crispy Quinoa and Parmesan Asparagus

This Garlic Butter Pan Roasted Salmon with Crispy Quinoa and Parmesan Asparagus is the perfect Spring dinner! Easy, delicious and your new go-to!

For this post, I partnered with Made In Cookware. I received free product but all opinions are my own! Thank you for continuing to support brands that make Our Balanced Bowl possible!

I’m all about super easy weeknight meals. The less steps the better, the less maintenance the better. But unfortunately, sometimes with those type of meals, the actual flavor of the meal suffers. Less maintenance can occasionally lead to less flavor or less crisp or less deliciousness.

That’s why I’m currently obsessed with this Garlic Butter Pan Roasted Salmon! It feels like a super fancy restaurant quality dinner yet it takes a little over 30 minutes and is super low maintenance! And the flavor is AMAZING. Win win!!

So, in this dish you’re going to find garlic herb infused butter. Yes, fresh garlic and fresh parsley mixed in with butter aka my love language. You’re also going to find the flakiest, tender, melt in your mouth pan roasted salmon you’ve ever eaten.

Lastly, you’re going to get a pop of crispy quinoa (basically just quinoa fried in a pan), and juicy caramelized roasted parmesan asparagus. Sound good? Good! Let’s get into it!

Ingredients You Need:

• fresh (not frozen) salmon
• fresh garlic
• salted butter
• fresh parsley
• quinoa
• asparagus
• salt and pepper and olive oil
• lemon

Tips for Perfectly Pan Roasting Salmon:

Cooking fish can be intimidating to people. That’s why I was SO excited when Made In sent me their new Blue Carbon Steel Pan along with an amazing video tutorial from well known chef Tom Colicchio about how to PERFECTLY pan roast fish. His instructions were completely foolproof! I tried it #thepanroast 3 different times and it worked so well each time.

Here are some basic tips that you need for pan roasting any fish:

• Oil your pan! I used olive oil for this recipe because we aren’t using a high smoke point.
• If you’re using a cast iron, carbon steel or stainless steel pan, make sure the fish is DRY! (you can simply use a paper towel to reduce the moisture)
• Make sure the fish is well seasoned! Don’t be shy with this – use a generous pinch of salt!
• Leave it alone in the pan! Don’t shake/rustle the pan, just let it be in the pan. Let it do its thang.
• Beware of the pan getting TOO hot. This will result in overcooked, dry fish. If you feel like the pan is getting too hot and the fish is cooking too fast, simply turn down the heat or even take the pan off the stove eye for several seconds to let it cool down.
• Baste it in butter! This will do wonders for the flavor of the fish – especially if you’re using my garlic herb infused butter 🙂 This simply means to let the butter melt in the pan, tilt the pan slightly, and using a spoon, spoon the butter directly onto the fish over and over until it’s well basted.
• Have patience! This method may take a little bit longer than you’re used to – but I promise it will be worth it in the end!
• Finish with lemon juice!

How to Make Garlic Butter Pan Roasted Salmon with Crispy Quinoa and Parmesan Asparagus:

I gave you some tips above – but now I’ll walk you step by step in how to cook the entire dish! Don’t worry, it’s super easy. Let’s get to it!

Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the ends of your asparagus off and add them to a large bowl. TO the bowl, add about 1 tbsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and about ¼ cup of freshly shaved parmesan. Mix together with your hands and then place the asparagus stalks into a single layer on a sheet pan. Set it aside for a few minutes!

In a large pot, cook your quinoa. Add one cup of water and ½ cup of quinoa to the pot as well as a large pinch of salt. Bring it to a rolling boil and then lower the heat to simmering. Let it simmer for 15 minutes or until fluffy and all of the water has dissolved.

Go ahead and add the asparagus to the oven now. Roast it for 10-15 minutes, flipping around halfway.

Now, to the star of the dish – the salmon!! Mince 2 cloves of garlic as well as about 4 tsp worth of fresh parsley. Add the garlic and parsley to 2 tbsp of room temperature butter. Mix well together until it’s combined. Set this aside.

Slice your salmon into 4 oz. filets. Warm up your pan on medium heat. Add about ½ tbsp of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel. Season the skin side with a generous pinch of salt. Once your pan is hot, place the skin side DOWN. It should sizzle slightly.

For crispy skin, cook the salmon filets on medium low heat (never letting the pan get too hot) for about 6 minutes. Leave them alone completely – don’t shake or rustle the pan or move it around with a spatula. If the pan starts to smoke because it’s too hot, simple reduce the heat or take it off the eye for several seconds.

Also, if your fish begins to stick, don’t worry! Have patience and leave it alone, it will eventually unstick itself.

While it’s cooking on the skin side down, make sure and generously salt the other side as well. After 6 minutes in the pan on low medium heat, flip it gently! This side will also cook for 5-6 minutes. However, let it cook for 2 minutes on that side and then add in your gloriously infused garlic herb butter for the rest of the cooking time.  Let the butter melt fully, slightly cooking the garlic. Next, tilt your pan slightly and using a spoon, baste the salmon by spooning the melted garlic butter over the salmon. Finish off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and let it rest in the pan while you finish with your other items. 

Crispy Quinoa + the Finishing Touches!

By now, your asparagus should be fully cooked. Shred additional parmesan on top if you love yourself.

In a non-stick skillet, add a tsp of olive oil and add a single layer of your cooked quinoa. (Btw, this totally works with leftover quinoa!). Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa gets golden brown and crispy.

Now, Avengers assemble! (Anyone else super pumped for the new Avengers movie this weekend?!) Okay, anyway. Assemble your plate! Add a healthy scoop of that crispy quinoa, top it with your pan roasted salmon and then add some of the roasted parmesan asparagus on the side.

I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe and are less intimidated about cooking fish! Remember I linked a video tutorial above if you’re a visual learner like me. Enjoy and happy weekend!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are some other recipes you might like:

Sheet Pan Moroccan Salmon with Veggies

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

Cuban Chicken and Black Bean Rice Bowls

Baked Garlic Herb Fries with Avocado Ranch

Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie