Salmon With Freshly Grated Tomatoes and Butter
Published July 11, 2024
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 3large heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes (about 1¼ pounds), halved
- 4skin-on salmon fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)
- Salt and pepper
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6thyme sprigs, plus more for serving
- 2garlic cloves, grated
- Toast, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
541 calories; 36 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 846 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Place a box grater in a medium bowl. Place the flat, cut side of each tomato half against the coarse side of the grater and grate the tomatoes in the bowl, stopping when you reach the tomato skin. Discard (or snack on) the tomato skins. You should have 1¾ to 2 cups of grated tomatoes.
- Step 2
Using paper towels, pat dry the salmon fillets. Season with salt on all sides.
- Step 3
In a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down and sear for 3 minutes, until the skin becomes crispy and easily releases from the pan. Flip the fillets and continue searing for 2 to 3 minutes, until a light crust forms.
- Step 4
Decrease heat to low to prevent the butter from burning. Transfer the salmon to a clean plate.
- Step 5
Carefully add the thyme sprigs, garlic and 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Be careful, the butter will splatter after adding the thyme; you may want to partly cover the skillet with a lid until the splattering stops.
- Step 6
Carefully pour the grated tomatoes in the skillet, season with salt and bring the mixture to a simmer. Decrease heat to medium-low and place the fish in the tomato sauce, skin-side down. Loosely cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the salmon is cooked through. The sauce will reduce slightly and go from a pinkish-red to an orange-red. Serve with toast and fresh thyme.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Howard Brown
What a palaver. Put butter and thinly sliced garlic in pan. Heat until it sizzles. Add salmon, turn after a couple of minutes. Add can of crushed/chopped tomatoes. Add whatever herbs you like, salt and pepper (this could include hot peppers or hot smoked paprika). Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, no longer. Enjoy and hello from the UK.
Megan U
I made this last night as written (maybe with a little extra garlic) with misgivings after reading the comments. I grated heirloom tomatoes (first time grating tomatoes) and it was so easy and the result was so worth it. It was sublime. It’s going into regular rotation in our house whenever tomatoes are at their peak.
salmons
i don't know what a palaver is, but I know that part of the point of this is the delicate flavor of barely cooked, fresh tomato. Notes: I doubled the garlic, left out the thyme and after searing the salmon, removed it and boiled down the tomato mixture *a lot*. And added *a lot* of salt. I put the salmon BACK in after a bit to poach it, once the sauce was reduced, but then took it out again to boil it down more and concentrate the flavor further.
Lenora
Sheesh! I much prefer the idea of using fresh tomatoes. And grating them should be easy-peasy.
joe p
Grating tomatoes is sooo easy. Takes little time per tomato and produces incredible juice and flesh when the tomatoes are juicy and flavorful. Winter tomatoes aren’t great, better ro use outstanding canned tomatoes like Pastene, Bianca, San Mexican, or mutti. I cook them down to concentrate the flavors. This recipe works great with shrimp, serve over rice.
FF
I have no dish washer & a box grater is a lot easier to wash by hand than a food mill. I didn't discard the skins, I chopped them finely & threw them in at the end for a hit of fresh tomato flavor. Very nice use for tomatoes fresh from the garden.
alex
Grating tomatoes is fast and easy! 1-2 minutes.
Cynthia
Grating tomatoes sounds disastrous and time consuming. I'd finely chop or use canned.
Stella Luna
This was fresh-tasting, easy, and delicious. Melissa Clark grates tomatoes for a dressing on green beans. That recipe is delicious. Grating tomatoes is different, even if you cook them, but you would have to try it. Chopping them yields a different result, but perfectly fine. Using canned tomatoes works, too, but is decidedly different from ripe, fresh tomatoes.
Kallee
What a quick and refreshing summer meal! I recommend serving it over orzo and toss some fresh basil on top if you have it.
Squirrel Butler
Howard, you should be a writer of recipes! You're clearly a clever fellow
annabel
grating tomatoes is very easy!!
leigh k
I just love this fresh tomato sauce with salmon. I served with zoodles that had some parm and olive oil.
E. C. Shaeffer
I prepare salmon filets often and if you simmer your salmon in the tomato sauce after you have already seared it for 2-3 minutes on each side you will completely ruin it. It will be hard, dry and tasteless. If you want a flavorful, delicious salmon serve it directly AFTER you have seared it for 2-3 minutes on each side. Just cook your sauce separately and pour over the seared salmon.
Larry E
Followed the recipe. Fresh, fast, and flavorful, this dish with rice was great. My first time grating tomatoes and the process was not hard at all, I did revisit the skins to to remove the flesh until the remaining skin was paper thin (put on a cutting glove to be safe). When tomato season is sadly gone, I will probably substitute a high quality canned brand that can be crushed by hand. This will become a member of my favorites file.
Rachel
I’ve made this a couple of times with following modifications. Prepared salmon completely separate from the sauce. Increased garlic, S&P for more flavor. The first time I made it, I seared salmon, then put it in the sauce to finish. It was tough and overcooked. This time I followed the instructions per NYT seared salmon with citrus and arugula. Cast-iron provided a perfect sear while fish remained moist. Sauce is killer and could be used with chicken or shrimp. Fabulous recipe.
Karen Storm
I make the salmon smothered with cherry tomatoes and red onion and seasoned with Italian seasoning. I prefer olive oil. The cherries and red onion taste great on a small baked potato.
Jola
Made it as written except it took the salmon only 5 min of poaching to be almost overcooked. The sauce was just ok, I should have followed Salmons' suggestion to add "lots" more of garlic and salt and cook the sauce a bit longer.
Crazy cat lady
I made this as written (always, the first time!). I used some very ripe heirlooms, and found them to be a little too juicy--not very much pulp, and not as I would have liked. Next time I'll use a beefsteak--and there definitely will be a next time. This is delicious, and very quick and easy to put together. No need to tweak the technique.
Laurie Heath
Made this one night when my partner wanted salmon but didn't know what to do with it. I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes instead of grating tomatoes. It was a terrific, simple recipe and we'll make it again.
kristin
A winner! We could not get over how good this was. I’d never grated tomatoes before and was surprised how easy it was. We did all the cooking in a skillet on the grill since it’s summer. Fantastic!
Imbrod
You can use those tomatoe skins for a lovely condiment. Weigh the skins, and measure an equal weight of sea salt or kosher salt. Spread the skins on a baking sheet in a single layer, preferably wet side up, sprinkle all the salt over evenly, and bake in a low oven (200F) until completely dried out, an hour or more. Crumble, crush, or pulverize to a powder. Use like table salt for a nice tang and a little less sodium.
Sophia
I've never grated tomatoes before, but it is truly a different texture and flavor than canned, diced. If you have ~2 extra minutes, its worth a try. Blistered some green beans in the pan after searing the fish to make it a one-pot meal that uses up lots of summer garden produce. This is a great template I will definitely continue to use in tomato season!
sarah
So flavorful; doubled the garlic and added spiraled zucchini to the broth after the salmon simmer stage. Softened right up without additional heat and rounded out an easy summer meal with minimal cooking time. Don’t skip the crusty bread!
Alison
Topnotch flavors, summer easy (tomatoes really are easy to grate). I used sage leaves because I had them and it was wonderful (remove them before serving). Corn cut off cob as a side worked beautifully. So would green beans. Salmon and tomatoes are always a good pairing but this one is nectar.
Alison
Forgot to rate it: outstanding.
MDinNC
This dish just tastes like Summer. I followed the recipe as written and it was easy, quick and delicious. Next time I'll add more garlic and maybe some roasted sweet corn (because tomatoes + corn = Summer!) In the winter months I think this would work well with Costco canned organic diced tomatoes as a substitute for fresh.
Suzi
My first time grating tomatoes which was great! I’m going to try that method for gazpacho. I served this over rice, and I added a cup of finley chopped kale into the sauce (as my garden has an abundance of kale so I pretty much add it to everything I make)I will definitely make again but will add more garlic and maybe a pinch of hot pepper for some heat.
LindaL
This was quite good. For the grated heirloom tomatoes, I cooked them more so that they were not too watery, then added the seared salmon.
E. C. Shaeffer
I prepare salmon filets often and if you simmer your salmon in the tomato sauce after you have already seared it for 2-3 minutes on each side you will completely ruin it. It will be hard, dry and tasteless. If you want a flavorful, delicious salmon serve it directly AFTER you have seared it for 2-3 minutes on each side. Just cook your sauce separately and pour over the seared salmon.
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