• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Confessions of a Grocery Addict logo
  • Home
  • Recipe Categories
  • About Me
  • Blog Writing Services
  • Subscribe!
  • The Food Justice Library
  • Latest Food & Grocery News
  • Contact
  • Privacy & Accessibility
  • Nav Social Menu

    Click to Share and Save

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipe Categories
  • About Me
  • Blog Writing Services
  • Subscribe!
  • The Food Justice Library
  • Latest Food & Grocery News
  • Contact
  • Privacy & Accessibility
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Categories
  • About Me
  • Blog Writing Services
  • Subscribe!
  • The Food Justice Library
  • Latest Food & Grocery News
  • Contact
  • Privacy & Accessibility
×

Home » Dinner

Easy Salmon with Caramelized Carrots and Minty Pea Purée

Published: Jul 14, 2020 · Modified: Jan 30, 2021 by Ash, The Grocery Addict · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Less is More in This Salmon with Minty Pea Puree and Pan Roasted Carrot Medallions Recipe. But More is More When it Comes to Blenders. Here's Why.

Are you one of those people that treats less like a four letter word? I mean, I know it is technically a four letter word. But it shouldn't be in the category of the four letter words you shout when you accidentally slice your fingertip off with a mandoline. (Yep. I've done that. I'm missing part of my fingerprint now. What can ya do?)

One of my favorite quotes of all time is about how simplicity is instead a characterization of perfection. I'm pretty sure it could've been written about this dreamy date night salmon dinner.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -Antoine St. Exupery
a close up of my new favorite salmon dinner for date night - minty pea puree, caramelized, pan roasted carrots and perfectly basted salmon
Can you believe this is just 8 ingredients???

Table of Contents

  • Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -Antoine St. Exupery
  • Why I Love This Recipe
  • The case for a fancy a$$ blender.
  • The technique: Baste for the best.

Why I Love This Recipe

This delightfully simple dish came together with a total of 8 ingredients and was as toothsome and titillating as some of the fanciest, most expensive dishes I've had at well regarded restaurants. And y'all. There was nothing left to take away. It. Was. Perfection.

We felt special AF when we were mowing this down last night, and it certainly took the suck out of a long and tedious day for us both. Oh! And I should tell you that I only used one pan for the whole thing. Chalk another one up for the good guys!

So what were the ingredients, you ask? I'd bet you already have the majority waiting for you in your larder. Two pieces of frozen, skin on salmon from Costco. A bag of fresh English peas from Trader Joe's (but a bag of frozen totally would've worked, too). Half a yellow onion. Grass-fed butter. Cottage cheese. Fresh mint. Carrots. Pistachios. That's the whole shebang. And y'all. It tasted divine.

Overhead shot of salmon with minty pea puree and caramelized carrots on a carrera marble table.

Butter basted, perfectly flaky salmon. Satisfyingly al dente, barely caramelized sweet carrots. Creamy smooth minty pea puree. Crunchy, salty pistachios. I swear. I could almost see a little ray shining down from the cooking heavens and hear the angels sing.

What surprised me the most was how wonderfully my humble cottage cheese rose to the occasion. I originally intended on using some ricotta in my pea puree, but realized too late in the evening that I was sadly out. Cottage cheese was how my Mom used to make lasagne since ricotta wasn't super easy to find in the 80s. Surely it could work here, too? My reasoning stood up to the test.

A perfect accompaniment to this salmon dinner was a light and fruity beaujolais
If you don't think red wine and fish can get along, I beg you try a light, summery beaujolais.

The case for a fancy a$$ blender.

The real kitchen hero here was undoubtably my beloved Vitamix blender, which turned my simply sauteed onions, cottage cheese and barely simmered peas into a frothy, pillowy, sumptuous canvas for the rest of the dish. I have to be honest here. I never believed a piece of kitchen equipment could be as powerful as my Vitamix ended up being. Before the days of my Vitamix, I was perfectly happy with my Ninja blender. Ninjas can turn ice into snow! And they're wonderfully affordable! If you're not quite ready for a several hundred dollar blender (no shame there, my friends!), Ninja is a star.

But when Joe and I got married and we were putting together our registry, we figured, "What the heck? Let's see if the hype is true!" It is. It is totally true. I have zero affiliation with Vitamix as I'm writing this. Only pure, unadulterated affection. I mean, you can literally make hot chocolate from refrigerated milk and chocolate chips, y'all. It is so dang powerful that it can heat things up with its powerful engine! When we first got it, I was using it every single day, just for the novelty. Now I use it several times a week, at least.

The dish shot from above, with some peas and mint strewn about on a concrete table

I'm not saying that your puree won't be absolutely divine without one. I'm just letting you know that the consistency might be a *little* less perfect without one. But no worries! Just blend the eff out of it for a few extra minutes to try and get some of that air worked in and get the perfectly emulsified sauce you're looking for.

The technique: Baste for the best.

The salmon and carrot elements were the simplest you can imagine. I only used butter, salt and pepper on both. I wanted to really emphasize their true flavors, so this elemental approach seemed best. Now here's the thing I learned from restaurant work that you all need to know. The trick with the salmon is basting it with that beautiful butter. It is not difficult at all. Just melt the butter over medium heat, put the salmon in skin side down and leave it be. I mean it. Don't fuss with trying to move it around, or you'll risk the skin sticking to the pan and tearing your lovely fillet.

One more overhead shot of my beautiful salmon dinner in a blue bowl on a carrera background with peas and mint

Now, tilt the pan towards yourself and let the butter pool together. Grab a spoon, like what you would use for eating a big bowl of twirly pasta, and scoop up that barely browning, nutty elixer. Now bathe your fish with it. Repeat a few times over the next few minutes, before putting the entire pan under the broiler to finish. I'm serious. This will change your fish-cooking life. You'll look like a pro. People will ask you for the recipe, and you'll shrug and say "it's just butter, salt and pepper" because it's literally just butter, salt and pepper.

If you really want to impress someone special with some stellar cooking, this salmon dinner really is the bee's knees. And while you're at it, make this 10 minute Upside Down Cake or this 5-Minute Lemon Blueberry Trifle for dessert. Between dinner and dessert, I'm pretty sure you'll be getting lucky tonight. And you didn't even have to break a sweat to get there!

So what are you waiting for? Get after this super simple but oh-so-satisfyingly fancy feeling salmon recipe tonight. All it takes is one pan, a blender, about 25 minutes and some easy to find ingredients. You're about to be the star of your kitchen. Promise.

If you loved this recipe and want more inspiration, be sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest!

Salmon with Minty Pea Puree and Pan Roasted Carrot Medallions

An Elegantly Simple Salmon Recipe
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine French
Servings 4
Calories 502 kcal

Equipment

  • Oven Safe Sautee Pan
  • Vitamix Blender ~or~
  • Ninja Blender
  • Cutting Board
  • Chef's Knife or Santoku Knife

Ingredients
  

  • 4 4oz Salmon Fillets
  • 10 oz Fresh English Peas alternatively, use frozen peas
  • ½ medium Yellow Onion diced fine
  • 1 C Cottage Cheese full fat
  • ½ C Fresh Mint Leaves
  • ½-1 C Chicken Stock, Veggetable Stock or Water
  • 4 large Carrots sliced into medallions
  • 6 oz Butter divided
  • ¼ C Roasted Salted Pistachios chopped
  • Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Melt 3 Tblsp (a quarter of total) butter in sautee pan over medium heat. Add onions and sautee until beginning to soften. Add peas, then stock/water. Bring to simmer, then simmer peas for about 90 seconds.
    Add peas, onions, and liquid to blender with cottage cheese. Blend until light and creamy, adding more liquid if needed. Finally, add mint and process again. Taste for seasoning.
  • Melt 3 Tblsp butter (a quarter of total) in same sautee pan. Add carrots, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until al dente and slightly golden. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Turn broiler on high to preheat.
    Melt 6 Tblsp butter (half of total) in same sautee pan. Place salmon skin side down in pan. Season with salt and pepper. When butter is bubbling, baste salmon with it. Repeat every couple of minutes until bottom half of salmon fillet looks cooked from the side.
    Place sautee pan under the broiler and complete cooking the fish, 4-6 minutes depending on thickness.
  • To plate, evenly divide pea puree between pasta bowls. Top with a piece of salmon, then evenly divide carrots between plates. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and garnish with a mint sprig. Voila! Dinner is served!

Nutrition

Calories: 502kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 13gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 560mgPotassium: 624mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 13978IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Date Night, Easy, Fast, Gluten Free, Salmon, Seafood
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Dinner

  • square hero shot of wild mushroom tartine sliced in half on a grey plate with a fork and knife.
    Easy Mushroom Tartine With Spreadable Goat Cheese
  • eggs in a carton with sad faces drawn on.
    21+ Egg Substitutes & Egg Replacements For Cooking, Baking, Breakfast, & More!
  • Sesame Garlic Ramen Noodles
  • vertical hero shot of hawaiian pork chop sliders with grilled pineapple.
    Grilled Pineapple & Hawaiian Pork Chop Sliders

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Ash the addict chomping on an apple in the orchard

Hey y'all! My name is Ashley, and I'm the Grocery Addict. I'm here to share my best time saving tips, money saving tricks and store bought grocery hacks to make being the CFO (Chief Food Officer) of your family a little easier. All of my recipes are designed for real, busy people - like you! - who want to eat healthy, homemade food on a tight budget. I can't wait to see you in the kitchen!

If you're interested in getting help writing your blog, simply click on the link in the menu!

Feed My Addiction With A Tip

More about me →

Trending Recipes

  • flat lay square hero of a bowl of instant pot loaded baked potato soup.
    Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
  • final shot of broccoli cheese chowder in grey pasta bowl with gold spoon.
    Broccoli Cheddar Soup
  • instant pot split pea and ham soup in a white pasta bowl on a grey dinner plate with a smoked gouda and ham sandwich on sourdough, a gold spoon, a tan waffle knit napkin and a sparkling water on a grey slate table.
    Instant Pot Split Pea and Ham Soup
  • overhead shot of white pasta bowl filled with instant pot veggie soup, a gold spoon and a mustard yellow and white linen napkin.
    Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
  • closeup shot of a bowl of vegetarian tom kha soup.
    Vegetarian Tom Kha Soup With Coconut, Sweet Potato & Corn
  • beef and black bean chili in a white bowl with a blue rim topped with cheddar cheese, green onions and cilantro.
    Easy, Spicy Beef & Black Bean Chili
  • close up shot of clam chowder in a blue bowl with a plate of buttered toast.
    Mom's White Clam Chowder
  • Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup with tomatoes, kale and ham in a white soup bowl with a blue border and some buttered croissant toast on a navy and white dotted plate.
    Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup with Ham, Tomatoes and Kale

Recent Posts

  • peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cake decorated with peanut butter chocolate buttercream and various reese's candies.
    Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
  • square hero shot of eggless raspberry white chocolate loaf pound cake on a cutting board with a silver knife.
    Raspberry & White Chocolate Loaf Cake (No Eggs!)
  • square overhead hero of healthy Mediterranean white bean tuna dip in a bowl on top of a plate with saltines and crostini for serving.
    Healthy Tuna Dip With White Beans (No Cream Cheese, Sour Cream, or Mayo!)
  • overhead closeup shot of oat flour chocolate chip cookies on a crumpled parchment paper with a bowl of rolled oats.
    Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

As Seen On...

Latest Food & Grocery News

Footer

ConvertKit Form

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy & Accessibility Policies

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme