This Almond Cherry Seared Salmon is the perfect date night centerpiece, and features rich King salmon seared to perfection and topped with hot, juicy cherries and toasted almonds.
This post is sponsored by Regal New Zealand King Salmon.
Almond Cherry Seared Salmon
Do you love Bing cherries?
Growing up, we rarely had these dark red treats. The tiny stone fruits were missing from my life– except when we went to the beach.
Beach days meant coolers of whatever fruit we wanted– and each year the parents, my friend Sarah, and I would wander through new and exciting grocery stores that we didn’t have back home (like Winn-Dixie and Publix), and pile bags of Bing cherries into our grocery cart.
Then, we’d spend the next few days gorging ourselves on cherries and ignoring the red tell-tale cherry stains on our lips and faces.
Years later, I still love cherries. At some point, I realized that a little self control with cherries could be an excellent thing.
Why? Cherries are perfect for eating on their own, of course, but they’re also perfect cooked!!
Go figure.
In particular– they’re amazing with salmon!
I recently had a chance to cook with some King salmon– a rich and decadent seafood luxury– and the cherries made the fish even more spectacular.
This recipe for Almond Cherry Seared Salmon is perfect for Date Night, is easy to make, and is ready in about 25 minutes.
Almond Cherry Seared Salmon
King Salmon– The most luxurious fish
Awhile back, I had a chance to cook with (and fall in love with) the gorgeous, thick, and marbled King salmon fillets from Regal New Zealand King Salmon.
Regal’s salmon farming is so well-run and eco-friendly that it’s been awarded the Best Aquaculture Practices certification from the Global Aquaculture Alliance, and is listed as a ‘Best Choice’ from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch— making it both a delicious and environmentally friendly choice.
Want more king salmon? Try these: Grilled Salmon with Plum Sauce, Poached Salmon with Blueberry Sauce, and King Salmon Recipe Ideas
I Can’t Find King Salmon. Can I Use A Different Type of Salmon?
Of course! Swap these fillets out for sockeye salmon, or grab some BAP certified Atlantic salmon. (But keep your eye out for King salmon– it’s fabulous!)
Learn more about salmon: Wild Salmon vs. Farmed Salmon and Types of Salmon
Can I Use Frozen Cherries?
Yes!
Your sauce will just have a slightly different texture than if you’d used fresh cherries.
Can I Swap a Different Type of Sweet Cherry?
Definitely. I used Bing cherries, but you could also use other varieties of sweet cherries– like black or Rainier cherries.
No cherry pitter? Check out my cherry pitting trick in this Cherry Chocolate Chip Milkshake recipe.
How to Make Seared Salmon with Cherry Almond Topping
To make this dish, you’ll toast the almonds, and sear the fish.
Then, take the fish out of the pan, and add the cherries to the hot pan along with some amaretto. Serve the fish with the cherry pan-sauce and almonds for a luxurious summer dinner!
Need more help? Check out this tutorial on How to Cook Salmon and How to Pan-Sear Fish.
Almond Cherry Seared Salmon
Want more SUMMER SEAFOOD recipe ideas? Try these:
- Grilled Swordfish with Basil Pesto
- Grilled Lobster Tails with Bourbon Sauce
- Summer Soup: Gazpacho with Anchovies
Seared Salmon with Almond Cherry Topping
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Ingredients
- 1/8 cup almonds, slivered
- 1 TB butter OR olive oil
- 2 King salmon fillets (~4oz each) Regal New Zealand King Salmon recommended
- pinch salt, pepper
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 cup sweet cherries (such as bing cherries), pitted
- 1/4 cup amaretto
Instructions
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add almond slivers, and toast them for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to turn golden and smell fragrant.
- Pat salmon dry. Pat dry again. (Wet fish will not sear). Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, and rub the lemon zest onto the fleshy side of the salmon.
- Heat butter in a stainless steel or cast iron pan over medium-high heat, until butter is hot but not browned.
- Set salmon, skin side down, in hot pan. Sear, without touching or trying to move salmon, for approximately 4 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness. Salmon will begin to cook from the bottom up- turning from pale pink to a whiter, less translucent hue. Salmon is ready to flip when the fish has cooked approximately 3/4 of the way through.
- Use thin metal spatula to flip salmon. If salmon sticks to the pan, allow it to cook another 30 seconds and try again until it's loosened.
- Once salmon is flipped, sear it for about 1 minute. Remove salmon from pan, and cover it with a paper towel to keep it hot.
- Turn heat down to medium. Stepping back in case of splashback, add amaretto to the pan. Next, add cherries and the reserved lemon juice. Simmer cherries for about 2 minutes. While cherries sear, smash them with the back of a spoon to release juices.
- Serve salmon immediately with almonds and cherries.
Oh me oh my! You already know my stance on salmon. But I also happen to *LOVE* cherries and almonds together. And toasting nuts! I love everything about this!
Thanks Dana! Go find their king salmon! You’ll be obsessed 😀
This looks utterly amazing ~ we are such salmon fiends in this house, and I keep hearing about how amazing New Zealand salmon is, I’m plugging my zip code into the store finder now!
YESSSS go get some!! It’s fantastic!!
I like that you’ve added amaretto with the Salmon. With the cherries sweetness, the amaretto’s depth and the almond for a texture add I just know this will be fantastic. Im always looking for recipes that when I serve them they look professional and all…. this totally hits on all those marks! (and ps, I have some King Salmon my sister in law just brought with her from Alaska…. #winning… thats a sign right?
Thanks Michele!!! This really is gorgeous plated- you’ll love it!!! (And yessss it means you have to try it!! Hahaha)
So many of my favourite things together in one place – salmon (and hooray for King/Chinook), cooking with fruit, and Bing cherries. AWESOME. And you’ve brought almonds into the mix too, which always makes me happy, as they’re the perfect accompaniment to cherries. Thanks for the health information on salmon too, and as always, for being a blogger who really focuses on the differences and nuances of seafood. It’s wonderful to see, and I always appreciate it!
Thanks Sean!! I’m so glad you enjoyed reading about salmon- there’s so many different types and it’s fun to compare! Let me know if you try it out!
I love cherry sauces on grilled meats, but hadn’t thought to pair them with salmon! What a delicious idea. I’ll be making this over the weekend when I have friends over! This salmon is absolutely gorgeous, too. I’m going to Costco later in the week and have these on my list to find. They look luxurious!
I have two problems! One, I want to eat all the cherries fresh, and two, I always end up making my go-to salmon recipe instead of trying something new and exciting like this! This is ON MY LIST for this summer though, because it sounds amazing!