Salmon was an acquired taste for me. I finally started liking it in my twenties. Up to that point the only salmon I ate was my Mom’s salmon patties with ketchup. One night when I was out to dinner with a few coworkers on a business trip in Chicago I ordered the salmon special. I loved it. From that moment I could order blackened salmon with barbecue sauce at restaurants and be confident that I would have a tasty and satisfying meal. This recipe is my version of the salmon I came to love at that Chicago restaurant, and how I learned to love salmon.
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Pan-seared Oven-finished Salmon with Barbecue Sauce
2 (6oz) thick center-cut salmon fillets
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper (or more as this will determine “the kick”)
4 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce (read labels to be Whole30 compliant – my favorite is Primal Kitchen -click link to purchase on Amazon)
Olive oil
Note: check your labels on spices and barbecue sauce if you would like to make this recipe gluten-free.
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat salmon dry with paper towel. If necessary remove pin bones with kitchen pliers.
2) Season salmon with the rub.
3) Heat olive oil in an oven proof pan over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the salmon top side down/skin side up and sauté for 5 minutes.
4) Remove from heat, gently flip the salmon.
5) Top each piece of salmon with 2 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce, my favorite Whole30 and Paleo compliant brand is Primal Kitchen – click link to purchase on Amazon.
6) Finishing cooking the salmon by placing the pan in the preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until your desired doneness is reached. I checked it at 5 minutes, and put it back in for 2 minutes. By the way don’t judge me by how much my oven needs to be cleaned!
7) Serve with your favorite sides: green beans, sweet potato, broccoli, or asparagus.
Pan-Seared Oven-Finished Salmon with Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 (6oz) thick center-cut salmon fillets
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper (or more as this will determine 'the kick')
- 4 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce
- Olive oil
Directions
- Step 1 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat salmon dry with paper towel. If necessary remove pin bones with kitchen pliers.
- Step 2 2. Season salmon with the rub.
- Step 3 3. Heat olive oil in an oven proof pan over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the salmon top side down/skin side up and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Step 4 4. Remove from heat, gently flip the salmon.
- Step 5 5. Top each piece of salmon with 2 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Step 6 6. Finishing cooking the salmon by placing the pan in the preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until your desired doneness is reached. I checked it at 5 minutes, and put it back in for 2 minutes.
- Step 7 7. Serve with your favorite sides: green beans, sweet potato, broccoli, or asparagus.
Hello My Love – as you know, fish was definitely an aquired taste for me too. Thanks to you I am now a fan. I must say – this was one of your best. The flavor combination was fantastic. I would recommend this recipe for the die hard fish lover and also for anyone who says 'I am not that into fish' – my guess is that they will like this. Try It. This recipe is unequivocally Huzzy Approved. By the way -Coco and Mr. Knightley (our cats) share my enthusiasm. They give this recipe an enthusiastic two paws up (each). THANK YOU!!
For those who love barbeque sauce this is the perfect combo for salmon. My husband is the bigger fan of BBQ than I but I still thought it was really tasty. You could pretty much pair any good sauce with salmon and I’ll love it but this one was something different than I had tried before. For those like me who aren’t as big fans of BBQ sauce, I bet you could substitute that bit with something else and make a tangential dish that’s the best of both worlds….because I wouldn’t trade any of the other ingredients, they’re wonderful….as is the dish itself. My husband’s favorite! 🙂
Thank you for the comment! I was surprised at how much your Mom loved the salmon. She swore she didn’t like salmon. It delights me to surprise people with something they don’t think they like.
Whenever I think Salmon I think….savory…..or crunchy and grilled….little lemon perhaps. I typically don’t think BBQ…..but this was Outstanding. Not overly done (with the BBQ) just enough to really accent the fish…..not making it heavy just downright tasty!! LOVED it!
This one will go in my list of go-to’s for sure.
Yay! I’m glad to hear it. It’s a staple for us too.