Almond crusted salmon with lemon and leek crema is one of my favorite meals in the spring. Everything is fresh and I’m so ready for a lighter meal. But the truth is, I have this year round. I usually serve this with a side of sautéed asparagus and my Pesto Fingerling Potatoes. If I’m serving this meal to guests, and serving this meal as noted, I’ll make the crema and the pesto earlier in the day. A couple of hours before my guests arrive, I’ll toss the potatoes with olive oil and get them on the baking sheet ready to go into the oven. I’ll dredge and coat my salmon and have them waiting in the refrigerator. This way, my kitchen is clean when guests arrive and all I have to do is pop the potatoes in the oven and cook the fish when the time is right. Right before the meal is to be served, I sauté the asparagus, toss the cooked potatoes with the pesto, reheat the crema and plate it up. It is beautiful and people always love it. But I digress, let’s get back to making this dish.
Making the Lemon Leek Crema
Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat and melt. Once melted, add the leeks and saute for about 3 minutes. You want them starting to get soft. Add a lid to the skillet (or cover with foil) and cook about 20 minutes until they are very soft. Stir occasionally. Add the lemon juice and cook until it is evaporated. Stir in the cream and simmer a few minutes until it thickens.
Transfer the mixture to a blender and mix until really smooth. Strain the lemon crema through a mesh strainer back into a small pot pressing on the solids to push through as much cream as possible. Discard any remaining solids in the strainer.
Season the crema with salt and pepper. Keep it warm if using right away. You can keep it over very low heat or take it off the heat until you are cooking the salmon and just reheat gently over low heat. You can also make this the day before and let cool completely. Store in a covered container in the fridge until ready to serve. Bring it to room temperature before gently reheating on the stove over low heat.
Making the Almond Crusted Salmon
Salt and pepper the salmon on both sides. Dredge the salmon in the flour coating both sides. Shake off any excess.
Brush the top side of the fish with the egg mixture. (this is the side that will be showing when you plate your fish). Dip that side into the plate of almond mixture pressing down so it sticks. Place the prepared fish on a plate and prep the other piece of salmon. When both fillets are coated in the almond mixture, place the plate of fish in the fridge to set up. I like to chill it for about 30 minutes, but you can cover the fish and keep it in the fridge for several hours. That makes this a great dish to prep way in advance and then just cook off when you are ready to eat.
In a large, non-stick skillet, add a tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the prepped salmon fillets, almond side down and cook until the almonds are brown (about 4-6 minutes). Carefully, flip the fish over and finish cooking for another five minutes or until they are done to your liking.
You are now ready to plate your meal.
I place a couple of spoonfuls of the lemon sauce (or more) on the plate, then top with a piece of salmon. Serve with lemon wheels and garnish with parsley for a delicious and yummy seafood dish. I often have extra sauce which I serve on the side. If you find you have a lot of sauce, cover and refrigerate and use with fish or chicken as a sauce or dip.
Did you like this recipe? Be sure to leave comments if you have made it. Want to try other tasty fish and salmon recipes? Check out some of these:
Cedar Plank Salmon in the Oven
Sheet Pan Lemon Cod on Crispy Garlic Potatoes with Asparagus
Almond Crusted Salmon With Lemon & Leek Crema
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
SALMON
- 1 Tbsp. Butter
- 2 6 Oz. Skinless salmon fillets
- 1/3 Cup Sliced almonds, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh parsley, chopped
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/4 Tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/8 Tsp. Fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ Cup All purpose flour or Wondra flour
- 1 Egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
LEMON LEEK CREMA
- 2 Tbsp. Butter
- 2 Medium Leeks (white and light green parts), cut in half, rinsed thoroughly and chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice
- ½ Cup Heavy cream
- Lemon Wheels and Parsley to garnish
Instructions
Lemon Leek Crema
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat then add chopped leeks. Sauté the leeks for about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook the leeks for about 20 minutes until very soft. Stir occasionally. Then add lemon juice and cook until almost all is evaporated. Stir in the cream and simmer a couple of minutes until thickened slightly.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender and mix until really smooth. Strain the mixture back into the same pan pressing on the solids in the sieve to make sure you get all that delicious cream into the pot. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You can keep this warm on the side or let cool, refrigerate overnight and reheat when you are ready to serve. (Personally, I like it made and served fresh)
Almond Crusted Salmon
- Now set up your dredging stations. Put the flour on one plate and add pinch of salt and pepper. Mix the almonds, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper and place on another plate. In a shallow bowl, add the egg, water and a pinch of salt and pepper and beat until mixed. Salt and pepper your salmon, on both sides. Dredge the fish in flour (shake off the excess) then brush the top side of the fish with the beaten egg. Dip that egg side into the almond mixture. Press down so the crust sticks. Put the prepared fish to the side. Once you have both coated in the nut mixture, place in the refrigerator to set up. At least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Add one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of oil to a pan and heat over a medium high heat. Add the two fillets, almond crust side down and cook until the almonds are brown (about 4-6 minutes). Carefully, flip the fish over and finish cooking about 5 more minutes (or to your desired doneness).
- Spoon two tablespoons or more of the créma on a plate and top with the salmon. Garnish with the lemon wheels and parsley sprigs. If there is extra sauce, serve it on the side.
