Seared Salmon with Creamy Leek Rice
Golden-seared salmon fillets over rice folded with soft leeks and a light cream pan sauce built from the fond. A comforting two-portion dinner that stays high in protein.
- Total
- 45 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 30 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Searing · Pan sauce
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Rinse the 150 g riz under cold running water until it runs clear, then drain well. Trim the 2 poireaux, cut them in half lengthwise, rinse out any grit, and slice thinly into half-moons. Pat the 300 g saumon dry and season both sides with half the salt and half the black pepper.
~10 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the rice cooks up separate rather than gluey.
-
Put the riz in the saucepan with 400 ml water and a quarter teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and let it stand, covered, 5 minutes.
~23 min
Covering traps steam and the standing time lets residual heat finish the grains evenly.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the rice cooks, heat the olive oil in the large non-stick pan over medium-high until it shimmers. Lay in the saumon skinned side up and sear undisturbed until the underside is deep golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn with the fish spatula and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the salmon is just opaque at the edges and reaches 63°C in the thickest part. Move it to a plate.
~5 min
A dry surface and undisturbed sear drive Maillard browning, and 63°C keeps salmon moist.
Dry the salmon thoroughly and lay it in the pan away from you so the skin side crisps instead of steaming; a wet fillet will not release from the pan until it has browned properly.
Searing Pat the fish bone-dry and lay it away from you; leave it undisturbed until it releases easily, then flip once. Moving it early tears the crust.
-
Lower the heat to medium, add the sliced poireaux to the same pan with the remaining salt and black pepper, and cook in the salmon fond until soft and sweet, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring so they pick up the browned bits without scorching.
~8 min
Cooking leeks in the fond dissolves browned flavor bits into the vegetables instead of wasting them.
Leeks cooked in the salmon fond need a gentler heat than the fish did: if the pan darkens too fast, add a spoonful of water rather than more oil so the sauce stays clean.
Pan sauce Cook the leeks in the browned fond, then add cream and scrape the base so the fond dissolves into the sauce. Watch the heat so the fond darkens but never burns.
-
Pour the 100 ml crème into the pan with the poireaux and simmer 2 minutes, scraping the base, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. Fold the drained riz into the pan so it soaks up the cream and leek mixture.
~2 min
Simmering reduces and thickens the cream so it clings to the rice rather than pooling.
Pan sauce Cook the leeks in the browned fond, then add cream and scrape the base so the fond dissolves into the sauce. Watch the heat so the fond darkens but never burns.
-
Nestle the seared saumon back on top of the rice, spoon a little of the pan sauce over each fillet, and serve straight from the pan.
~2 min