Pan-seared balsamic salmon with cherry tomatoes and zucchini

This is the thing about skillet dinners: the best ones have a moment where I look at the skillet and think: This is much better than I expected. The whole point of this type of meal is that the end result should seem more than the sum of its parts, and that’s certainly the case with this summer balsamic salmon.

Why this balsamic salmon always works

Here’s how to do this: First roast the cherry tomatoes, zucchini, garlic and shallots, about 15 minutes at 400 degrees, until everything softens and the tomatoes begin to split and get jammy on the edges. Then you turn on the broiler, place the salmon directly on the vegetables, and finish the entire pan over high heat. After a couple of minutes, brush the salmon with a quick mix of balsamic vinegar and honey, let it caramelize under the broiler for a few more minutes, and you’re done. The glaze lacquers everything so that it’s sweet, tangy, and slightly sticky at the edges, and the smell when you open the oven will have everyone coming into the kitchen and asking when dinner will be ready.

This is one I keep in constant rotation, not only because it is delicious, but also because it’s a quick dinner (30 minutes, which means I can make it at the end of a busy day without feeling stressed). Plus, I love that it all happens in one pan and somehow still feels like the kind of dinner you’d order at a restaurant (with barely any extra cleanup, even though you made it all at home).

The vegetables that make this salmon taste like summer

The vegetables are what make it summery and give the dish a lot of flavor. Regular or small zucchini (if you can find them at the farmers market, take them) are cut in half lengthwise so that the cut side caramelizes against the pan and the cherry tomatoes explode and essentially become their own little sauce that pools around the salmon. Garlic and shallot are roasted until soft and sweet, almost jam-like, and then perked up with lemon and fresh thyme.

The 2-Ingredient Balsamic Glaze

The glaze consists of just two ingredients: 3 parts balsamic to 1 part honey. Simply mix it up in a small bowl while the vegetables are doing their first round in the oven. The result has a much more complex flavor: the balsamic gives it that touch of acidity, rounded by honey, and under the grill, it thickens and becomes a glaze for the salmon.

How to use your grill (without overdoing it)

A grilling lesson I learned the hard way (too many times to count): It works fast. Three minutes before frosting, then two or three more to finish. The direct heat from above is what caramelizes the glaze and gives it that golden crust, and the salmon stays tender because it’s only on high heat for a few minutes total. You want the salmon to be cooked through, still a little translucent in the center, if you prefer.

The finishing touches that bring it all together

When the balsamic salmon comes out of the oven, I recommend squeezing a few of those roasted lemon slices over everything and then tossing it all with fresh basil to bring out the richness. It also makes the entire pan look incredibly beautiful if you serve it family style at the table.

This is the kind of dinner I want to eat all summer long. It’s light enough for a patio meal in the sun and satisfying enough that no one will be rummaging through the pantry an hour later—a Mediterranean diet recipe that’s enjoyable.

If you’re looking for an easy salmon recipe that will stay in your weeknight rotation, this is the one. Find the full recipe below and let me know in the comments if you try this one!

Print