Being Muslims we adhere to eating only seafood when other meat options are not halal. Salmon New Orleans was one of those dishes that we tried at one of our favorite restaurant and were immediately in love with. The only problem is only that the restaurant is pretty far away and as much as we would love to be there every weekend, we cannot.
So one beautiful Sunday, when Mr. Parveez happened to be working on a weekend project, my boys craved Salmon New Orleans and there was no other option than me trying to make it at home. Following the flavors I could remember, this is the closest I can get to the dish, but considering that variations are acceptable in every dish, this dish came out fabulous. The boys couldn’t make out any difference except for what we made tasted more fresh. I guess fresh seafood and mixing of spices at the time does always help. And, this doesn’t mean I am advocating you to stop exploring restaurants, but while sharing this recipe at the time of pandemic Covid-19, I feel this is the best option to try out your restaurant favorite foods at home, as there ain’t any other option anyways.
If I was told before I started making this meal, that it will be done, finish to start in around 30 minutes and that too using just one pan, I would not really believe it, but honestly its true. I seasoned the Salmon with salt and pepper. Make sure you don’t add too much salt, because Salmon usually absorbs salt very quickly, so you might wanna hold your hand a little.
There are always different ways you serve your fish. I like mine with some veggies, preferably carrots, spinach, avocados, broccoli or asparagus. Here I used Spinach and avocados. I first cooked the spinach with garlic, saute’ed it lightly so the flavors blend in nicely without overcooking the spinach and making it lose its color. The light garlic tasting spinach adds that perfect flavor with the sweet salmon and shrimp medley. Another side of avocado slices with a little drizzle of lemon goes in so perfectly. If you like, you can always serve with a buttermilk biscuit like me or with anything you like. A little rice or mashed potato. The side should be a little mellow in taste to compliment the flavor of the fish.
Later we need to melt the butter and whisk a little honey. That’s where the slight sweetness of honey cooked with butter creates caramelization that our salmon will be cooked and come out with awesomely delicious results. I like my Salmon fillets to be thin. I feel that makes them juicer and crunchier. If you prefer them thick, then you can always take a fillet that weighs between 6-8 oz or else you can get thinner fillets that are around 3-4 oz each.
I made my cajun seasoning at home. You can always use store bought, but in case you want to make it at home, its pretty simple with ingredients easily available in your pantry. A little garlic powder, Onion powder, black pepper powder, white pepper powder, salt, red chili powder, red chili flakes and dry parsley. I believe the actual cajun spice might have a little more spice added to it, but with my caliber this is all I could guess and trust me doing this at home, the results would amaze you.
After this saute your shrimp in the same pan you used for the salmon, along with some more butter and that cajun seasoning. Top your salmon with a few shrimp and drizzle the cajun butter sauce from the pan right over the top. Garnish with a little chopped cilantro or parsley if you like and you’re done.
That’s it. So simple to make but believe me, you will be amazed with the results. This is Restaurant-quality at home with no-fuss. Isn’t that what we all desire?
Hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as we did.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 8 No. Salmon fillet Approximately 3-4 oz each is preferable
- 1/2 tsp Salt For Salmon
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder For Salmon
- 1 Lb Shrimp peeled and de-veined
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter divided into tbsp each
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1/2 tsp Salt For Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Garlic powder For Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Red chili powder For Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Onion powder For Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder For Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp white pepper powder For Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Dry red chili flakes For Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Dry parsley For Cajun seasoning
- 2 No. Avocado sliced
- 4 No. Lemon thinly sliced
- 4 cups Spinach washed
- 1/8 cup garlic chopped or mashed
Ingredients
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- In a small bowl stir together all cajun seasoning ingredients and set aside.
- I always rub some turmeric powder on the shrimp before cooking. I usually keep the shrimp like this for 10 minutes. It takes all the foul smell away. This step is not a part of the recipe and complete personal preference. Adding a 1/4 tsp of Turmeric powder to the shrimp is enough. Wash them again under running water and pat dry before adding them to the pan.
- Add two tbsp of butter to the pan, followed by garlic.
- Add in the spinach and saute'e it for 2-3 minutes. Remember that you have to be careful and make sure that the spinach does not loose its color and crunch.
- Season salmon with salt and pepper to taste.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add honey and whisk to combine (mixture should be bubbly).
- Add salmon fillets to pan and cook for 5-6 minutes and then flip.
- Cook another 7-8 minutes until salmon is cooked through, flaky, and browned. Transfer salmon to a platter and cover to keep warm.
- Add remaining butter to the pan over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, stir in the shrimp.
- Add in the cajun seasoning. Mix well.
- Saute until opaque, about 5-6 minutes. They should turn a little dark brown in color.
- Serve salmon topped with shrimp on a bed of saute'ed spianch. Serve avocado of any other side dish of your choice. Drizzle any extra pan sauce over the top and garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
