You and your family all will love this quick and elegant pan-fried salmon recipe, whether or not you follow a low-carb diet. Everyone will be shocked that it took you less than half an hour to prepare and if your family is anything like mine, it will quickly become a family favorite. What’s more, this recipe uses only a single pan, so cleanup will be quick and easy. This recipe is gluten free, low carb, and keto-friendly.
What are the Health Benefits of Salmon?
In addition to tasting delicious, salmon is full of natural health benefits, including omega-3 fatty acids to support heart health and brain function. There is also evidence that fatty fish like salmon has anti-inflammatory benefits. Additionally, skin-on salmon has high levels of marine collagen, vitamin-D, and anti-oxidants, making it even more nutritious than its skin-off counterparts.
Why Pan Frying?
In this recipe, we will take advantage of the skin to cook our salmon perfectly. It can be difficult to cook salmon throughly without drying it out. To avoid this, we will cook the salmon for most of the time skin-side down. This shields most of the tender flesh from the harsh heat of the pan to avoid overcooking while giving the skin a crispy, nearly potato-chip like texture.
What to Serve with Salmon Filets
Depending on your tastes, you can go in many directions for sides with this dish. If you’re looking for a hearty, filling meal, I highly recommend our Keto Mashed Cauliflower or our Rosemary Garlic Roasted Radishes. For a lighter, more summery feel, both our Curry Roasted Cauliflower and a salad topped with our Sesame Ginger Dressing will pair well. Alternatively, steamed broccoli topped with melted butter, salt, and pepper makes for a nutritious and easy alternative to fill out your meal.
What kind of pan should I use?
If you have one, I highly recommend using a cast-iron skillet. Once it has been pre-heated, the consistent heat provided by the heavier skillet is ideal for cooking your salmon evenly. However, if you don’t have one on hand, stainless steel is another great choice! The most important factor is not to crowd your pan. If you don’t have enough space between your salmon filets , they will steam one another as they cook. For ideal results, aim for at least an inch of free space between each filet.
The Secret Sauce
The sauce in this dish is made by deglazing our pan with white wine. This will loosen all the flavorful goodies (often called “fond”) stuck to the bottom of the pan after cooking As you stir, they will incorporate them into your sauce and give it a delightfully rich flavor. This also has the secondary benefit of making your pan much, much easier to clean after you’ve finished cooking.
How to Keep Your Salmon Crispy
My favorite part about the salmon in this recipe is how crispy the skin can be. That said, there are a couple things you can do to make sure it gets as crispy as possible. Most grocery store salmon is vacuum-packed, making it retain a great deal of moisture. If you pat your salmon dry before cooking, it will reduce this moisture, making it crispier. Ensuring you have enough oil in your pan will also make sure it gets crispy and does not burn in the pan. Finally, after your salmon has finished cooking, rest it skin-side up. This will ensure that any juices from the meat do not pool in the skin and make it soggy.
Crispy Keto Salmon with Mustard Sauce (Low Carb)
This Keto salmon recipe starts by pan frying until it's delightfully crispy, then adds a wonderfully tangy mustard sauce to make the flavors pop.
Ingredients
- 4 filets skin-on salmon descaled
- black pepper to taste
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
- juice of one lemon
- 3 sliced green onions (white/light green portion only)
Instructions
Pat your salmon dry with a paper towel, then salt and pepper your filets on both sides.
Preheat a pan to medium heat, add your avocado oil and place the salmon on, skin-side down. Leave on for 4-5 minutes, until the flesh appears cooked 1/2 to 3/4ths of the way through.
Gently flip your salmon filets, cooking until the flesh is cooked throughout (Usually 1-2 minutes)
Remove your salmon and allow to rest. To maintain crispness of the skin, place them down to rest skin-side up. This will prevent juices from the salmon from draining down into the skin and making it soggy.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add butter and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes to allow your garlic to brown. (If you see your butter begin to burn, add wine immediately)
Add wine to deglaze your pan and stir frequently, taking care to scrape the bottom of your pan with your spatula as you stir. Once the wine is reduced by about half, add your mustard and lemon juice . Allow them to simmer for 1 more minute until your sauce is thickened.
Add green onions and stir briefly, then pour sauce into a small bowl to serve.
