Za’atar Crusted Salmon

What is Za’atar?

Za’atar is a middle eastern spice blend that I use on repeat in my house. Everyone’s Za’atar blend is a little bit different, but the key ingredients remain the same, these are dried oregano, dried thyme, cumin, coriander, tons of sesame seeds, and sumac. If this recipe sounds good to you, be sure to check out this 30 Minute Za’atar Pan Roasted Chicken, which also spotlights this delicious spice blend.

Don’t forget the tahini sauce!

This super easy sauce, made with just 5 ingredients, compliments any dish. And is especially great with my Za’atar Crusted Salmon. To make it easier, I like to make this sauce in a food processor. However, you can easily save your self from doing an extra dish, and stir this by hand!

Key Ingredients

Za’atar – This spice blend proves the main flavor of the dish. I like to be generous with it, using 2 whole table spoons, and pressing it on the the fish, so it sticks as we pan fry it. Turning it into a beautiful, restaurant-worthy crust.

Olive Oil – This is what will help us achieve that beautiful crust. I typically do not like to use olive oil liberally, to save on calories and fat. But I make an exception for this dish, and you will want to as well. Without the piping hot olive oil, You won’t be able to get the deep golden crust that makes this dish such a winner. Depending on how big your skillet is, use 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Making sure the whole bottom is covered.

Tahini – This will make up the base of the sauce, so don’t skip it!

Lemon – This will help flavor the sauce, and also help thin it out so you can spoon it over the salmon.

Salmon – You can’t have a salmon recipe without salmon! To keep things easy, you can buy cut salmon filets from your grocery store’s fish monger, to make sure they are all the same size. And therefore, will cook uniformly. Alternatively, you can take a big salmon filet, and cut it into roughly 6 oz pieces. There are a lot of ways you can prepare your salmon, but I would not recommend keeping the big filet whole. This is because it would not fit on a cast iron skillet. Instead you would have to roast it on a baking tray in the oven, and you would never be able to achieve the same restaurant-worthy crust that way.

How to serve this dish

This dish would pair excellently with a short cut pasta such as orzo or couscous. If you want to add more protein, you can even serve it with quinoa. It would also be delish served over salad which is how I enjoyed mine.