Zesty Ranch Salmon
This recipe for Zesty Ranch Salmon creates a delicious, high protein meal. The marinated salmon is pan seared on the stove top so it’s moist and flaky. The tangy dill ranch sauce will tickle your taste buds!
Pan Seared Ranch Salmon
Salmon is high protein fish that’s rich in heart-healthy, Omega-3 fats. The nutritional benefits alone make it worth including as part of a healthy meal plan.
Most of the flavor in this dish comes from a zesty dill ranch marinade and sauce. In fact, it is just one of several salmon marinade recipes that you can use to add flavor to your seafood dishes.
Reasons to Make This Recipe
- Kid-friendly flavors. Almost everyone loves the flavor of tangy dill ranch seasoning!
- Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. It only takes 30 minutes to marinate the fish, and a quick 15 minutes to pan sear it to perfection!
- Easy meal prep idea. You can make the salmon marinade ahead of time so your dinner comes together more quickly.
Do you love the fresh flavors of ranch dressing? You might like my recipes for ranch potatoes and Buffalo ranch chicken casserole.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The salmon marinade has just 3 ingredients, and it features a dill ranch seasoning mix.
- skin-on salmon fillets: This recipe makes enough to marinate 12 ounces of fish. You can use fresh or frozen salmon fillets. If using frozen, be sure to thaw it in the refrigerator before marinating.
- avocado oil: This healthy cooking oil has a high smoke point, so it’s perfect to use for pan-searing salmon. If you need a substitute, olive oil and organic canola oil are good options.
- ranch seasoning: You can make a ranch dressing mix yourself, or use a store-bought mix.
- lemon juice: For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Concentrated lemon juice doesn’t have as much flavor.
How to Make Pan-Seared Ranch Salmon
There are just three simple steps involved: Prepping the ingredients, marinating, and cooking the salmon.
Prepare the marinade.
Just whisk the marinade ingredients together in a glass jar or bowl.
Marinate the fish.
Use paper towels to dry off the fillets, then put them in a shallow glass dish or heavy-duty zip top bag.
Pour the marinade over the salmon, then flip the pieces over so there’s a nice coating on both sides.
Marinate the salmon for 30 minutes. Or, you can cover or seal the container and refrigerate it for up to 2 hours.
Why can’t you marinate salmon in ranch dressing overnight?
Unlike beef and pork, fish doesn’t have any fibrous connective tissue to break down. So, fish marinades are really only used for adding flavor. Unless it’s a thick and meaty fillet, like tuna steak, the fish only needs 15-30 minutes of marinating time to take on the flavors.
Cook salmon on the stove.
Before you add the fish to the skillet, be sure the oil is hot. Otherwise, the oil will soak into the fish affecting the flaky texture. Let it cook undisturbed in the skillet for 3-4 minutes, then flip it over and cook on the other side for 4 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF.
Helpful Cooking Tips
- The best way to get the perfect flavor is to use all fresh ingredients. Freshly squeezed lemon juice will have a lot more flavor than a bottle of concentrated juice.
- For an easy meal prep idea, freeze the salmon in the ranch marinade. It will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months!
- To create extra crispy skin on the salmon, avoid the moving the fish around in the skillet.
Want to bake salmon in the oven instead? If you don’t want to cook the ranch salmon on the stove, you can follow the cooking instructions in my marinated lemon garlic salmon recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Salmon pairs really well with a lot of different starches and veggies. I like to serve it with broccoli ranch slaw and Instant Pot jasmine rice.
Other High Protein Meal Ideas
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice (approx. 1 small lemon)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper, or more/less to taste, as desired
For Cooking Salmon
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 12 ounces salmon fillets two skin-on fillets, about 6 ounces each
Instructions
- Add all marinade ingredients to a glass bowl or jar and whisk well to combine. Note: You can do this up to a day in advance. Cover and store the marinade in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
Marinate the Salmon
- Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Transfer to a glass baking dish or heavy-duty zip top storage bag. Pour the marinade over the fish, then turn it over to fully coat both sides.
- Marinate in the container at room temperature for 30 minutes, or set the covered or sealed container in the refrigerator to marinate for up to an hour. Alternatively, you can seal the bag or container and freeze the salmon in the marinade for 3-4 months.
Cook Salmon on Stove
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from marinade, shaking off any excess. When the oil is hot, set the salmon fillets in the pan, skin side down.
- Cook the fish, without moving the fillets around in the skillet, for 3-4 minutes. Then, use a large spatula to carefully turn the salmon fillets over.
- Continue cooking fish for another 4 minutes. To prevent the salmon from being dry, do not press the fillets down as they cook.
- When the salmon is flaky and cooked through to an internal temperature of 145℉, remove the fillets from the pan. Plate and serve while warm.
Notes
- To keep this recipe Whole30 and paleo compliant, if using store-bought ranch seasoning mix, be sure it does not contain any sugars or non-compliant starches.
- Reusing the salmon marinade is not recommended. Uncooked fish, meat, and poultry contain bacteria that transfer to the marinade. Per USDA recommendations, it is not considered safe to reuse for any purpose.
