Seared Salmon with Smashed Cucumber Salad (35 Minutes)
This Seared Salmon with Cucumber Salad is the dinner I make when I want something that feels fresh, bold, and a little exciting — and still lands on the table in 35 minutes. Soy-ginger marinated salmon gets a hard sear for a deeply golden crust, then lands on a bed of smashed cucumbers dressed in rice vinegar, sesame, and chili crisp. I love to serve this with jasmine rice for a rounded out meal. Eric and I make this constantly — and the leftovers the next day are just as good as dinner the night before!
We eat mostly pescatarian at home, and salmon is on our table more than anything else. When I want something that feels a little outside our usual rotation, I reach for bright, punchy Asian-inspired flavors — the kind that make a weeknight dinner feel genuinely exciting. If you’re a salmon lover like us, you’ll also want to try my Seared and Slow Roasted Salmon with Spring Risotto, my Skillet Baked Salmon with Coconut Lime Rice, and my Baked Salmon and Potatoes with Patatas Bravas Sauce — we have a lot of salmon recipes around here for a reason!
Ingredients Notes
I love using big English cucumbers here but you can also use Persian. There are so many great chili crisps on the market (you can even make your own!), and I tend to use Mr. Bing because it’s what my local store carries. We use it two ways in this recipe: first, spooned into the cucumber dressing and then also drizzled on top of the salmon for serving. Make sure to stir the jar well to get both the oil and the crunchy bits! For the salmon, skin on or off is totally up to you, however I prefer skin off for this recipe. The soy-ginger marinade only needs 15 minutes at room temperature, but don’t skip patting the fillets completely dry before they hit the pan. Any leftover marinade on the surface and the salmon will steam itself instead of sear.
A Few Testing Notes:
The most important thing I tested in this recipe: patting the salmon dry after the marinade. I cannot stress this enough — pat it thoroughly, more than you think you need to. Any residual marinade left on the surface and the salmon will steam instead of sear, and you’ll lose that deeply golden crust that makes this dish. For the cucumbers, the 10 minute salting time is exactly right. It pulls out just enough excess water without making them soggy or over-salted. And one more thing: don’t let the salmon sit in the marinade longer than 15 minutes. The soy sauce will start to firm up the texture of the fish, and that’s not what we want here.
How to Make Salmon and Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients, add the salmon flesh-side down, and let sit at room temperature for exactly 15 minutes.
2. Smash the cucumbers, tear into rough pieces, toss with salt in a colander, and let sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
3. Toss the drained cucumbers in the dressing, spoon onto plates, set the salmon on top, and finish with chili crisp, scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
4. Pat the salmon completely dry, sear presentation-side down for 3 to 4 minutes until deeply golden, then flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see it! Tag @alliehagerty on Instagram and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!
Seared Salmon with Smashed Cucumber Salad (35 Minutes)
Equipment
- cutting board
- Rolling pin or the flat side of a chef’s knife
- Colander
- 2 mixing bowls (one for the marinade, one for the cucumber dressing)
- Shallow dish for marinating the salmon
- Heavy skillet (cast iron or stainless works well)
- Fish spatula or regular spatula
- Paper towels
Ingredients
For the salmon:
- 4 6 oz salmon fillets, skin on or skin off
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil avocado or grapeseed
For the smashed cucumbers:
- 12 Persian cucumbers or 3 English cucumbers
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 garlic cloves grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp oil spooned from the jar, solids left behind
For finishing:
- 4 –5 tablespoons store-bought chili crisp stirred well
- 2 scallions thinly sliced on the bias
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Season both sides of the salmon with kosher salt, then start with the salmon marinade so it has time to work while you handle everything else. Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a shallow dish. Add the salmon fillets flesh-side down and let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes — any longer and the soy sauce starts to firm up the texture of the fish, so don't walk away and forget about it.4 6 oz salmon fillets, skin on or skin off, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- While the salmon marinates, tackle the cucumbers. Lay them on a cutting board and whack them with the flat side of a knife or a rolling pin until they crack and split open, then tear into rough, bite-size pieces. Toss them in a colander with the salt and let sit for 10 minutes to pull out excess water, then shake off the liquid without rinsing.12 Persian cucumbers, 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Whisk the rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and chili crisp oil together in a large bowl — spoon the oil off the top of the jar and save the crunchy bits for later. Toss in the drained cucumbers and set aside; it only improves as it sits.12 Persian cucumbers, 6 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon chili crisp oil, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- When the salmon’s done marinating, lift the fillets out and pat them completely dry with paper towels — any leftover marinade on the surface will make it steam instead of sear. Season all over with the kosher salt.4 6 oz salmon fillets, skin on or skin off
- Heat the neutral oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high until shimmering.1 tablespoon neutral oil
- If you're going skin-on: lay the salmon in skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for the first 15 seconds for full contact. Let it cook undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes; it'll release naturally when it's ready. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes for medium.4 6 oz salmon fillets, skin on or skin off
- If you're going skin-off: lay the salmon in presentation-side down first and let it sear undisturbed for 6 to 7 minutes until it's deeply golden and releases easily from the pan. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes for medium, spooning a little of the pan oil over the top in the last minute for extra color and flavor.
- Either way, rest the salmon for a minute off the heat before serving.
- To serve, spoon a generous bed of the smashed cucumbers onto each plate and set the salmon on top. Spoon the chili crisp, solids and all, over each fillet right before serving so the fried bits stay crunchy. Finish with scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and a lime wedge on the side.4 –5 tablespoons store-bought chili crisp, 2 scallions, Fresh cilantro leaves, Toasted sesame seeds, Lime wedges