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One Pan Salmon Piccata with Orzo
We love a one pan meal over here, and this one could not be more perfect for your next spring dinner party!
Whether you’re just making a simple weeknight meal or hosting a small dinner party, this one pan salmon piccata with creamy orzo and asparagus is the perfect dinner for spring. Because it’s all made in one pan, this recipe is super easy and quick to make. After just 30 minutes from start to finish, this one pan meal leaves barely any dishes so can spend more time with your loved ones and enjoying the perfect spring weather. I know I’ll be making this one all the time now and I hope you will, too!
Watch Me Make Salmon Piccata with Orzo
Table of Contents
What is Piccata?
What Kind of Salmon to Buy
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make It
Storing and Reheating
Tips
Reasons to Love It
Steak and Coconut Rice Recipe
What is Piccata?
Piccata is a melding of Italian and American cooking styles. It usually includes a flour-dredged meat, most commonly chicken, and is cooked in a classic sauce of lemon juice, butter, capers, and white wine. This One Pan Salmon Piccata with Orzo uses all of those same techniques and ingredients, but with salmon for a fun twist. It also includes orzo for a more complete meal, and it comes together in one pan in just 30 minutes.
What Kind of Salmon Should I Buy?
Buying salmon can be kind of tricky because of all the options out there, but here are a few things to consider:
- Farm-raised or wild? This is a personal choice and might be based on what’s available and what’s affordable. Just try to avoid farm-raised salmon that doesn’t have artificial dyes added.
- Coho, King, Chinook, or Sockeye? King and Chinook are more luxurious salmon that you can usually only find in high-end fish markets and restaurants, but are delicious if you can get them. Coho and Sockeye are much more common in grocery stores, so you’ll probably use one of those for this recipe. Sockeye is usually a deeper color whereas Coho is a bit milder.
- Fresh or frozen? I usually prefer fresh, especially if I’m going to be cooking it soon after I buy it. If you use frozen, make sure it has a tight seal.
- Never buy salmon that has a fishy smell, looks dried out, or seems pale.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Salmon
Salmon is a super healthy source of protein, loaded with omega-3s (the healthy fats!) and other essential vitamins and nutrients. It’s also one of the more reliably available and high-quality fish you can find at almost any grocery store.
I recommend buying skinless salmon for this recipe, but if you can only find skin-on salmon, the skin should come off easily after it’s cooked. If you don’t like salmon, you can make this recipe with any other fish or even with chicken!
Asparagus
I love asparagus with salmon, especially when it’s first in season in the spring. Try to find the fattest asparagus, and don’t forget to snap off those tough ends. Fresh or frozen peas, sugar snap peas, green beans, and broccoli would also be good substitutes.
Orzo
I love using orzo in one-pan meals like this, especially with more delicate ingredients like salmon and asparagus. To make this dish gluten-free, you can swap orzo for white rice or quinoa.
White Wine
Any dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, works for this recipe. I say white wine is optional because you could just use more chicken broth instead.
Chicken Broth
I use low-sodium chicken broth from Trader Joe’s, but you could also use regular chicken broth. Pescetarians can use vegetable broth instead.
Heavy Cream
Heavy cream helps the liquid thicken slightly and adds a creamy texture to the orzo, which makes it melt in the mouth with the salmon and asparagus. You could omit and use more chicken broth, but just know it won’t be as creamy and the color will be different than in the photos.
Capers
Capers really bring all these Mediterranean flavors together. I don’t bother chopping mine before I add them to the orzo, but you could if you want the flavor more evenly dispersed throughout the dish.
Parmesan Cheese
Adding freshly grated parmesan cheese toward the end allows the cheese to melt and make the dish extra creamy. You won’t get that same effect with shelf-stable parmesan. Pecorino is the best substitute for parmesan.
Lemon
Is salmon even complete without a squeeze of lemon? I don’t think so! I always recommend fresh-squeezed lemon juice over the bottled stuff.
All Purpose Flour
AP flour is used to lightly coat the salmon so it gets a crispy exterior when fried in the pan. For a gluten-free option, I recommend a 1:1 gluten free flour.
Shallot and Garlic
These aromatics help build flavor in the dish. Finely diced red onion can be swapped in for the shallot. You can also dial up or down the garlic to suit your tastes.
How to Make Salmon Piccata with Orzo
Start by heating olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.
Step 1
Add the flour to a shallow bowl with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Dredge each salmon fillet in the flour on both sides.
Step 2
Add the salmon to the hot pan and cook for about 3 minutes each side until cooked through and the fish can easily be flaked with a fork. Set aside.
Step 3
In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter or oil, shallot, and garlic. Stir constantly for 1 minute then add the orzo and continue stirring for another minute. Add the white wine and continue stirring until the wine has reduced, about 3 minutes.
Step 4
Add chicken broth, cream, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir every 2 minutes or so to ensure the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Step 5
After 5 minutes, add the asparagus, capers, and parmesan cheese and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed and the asparagus is tender.
Step 6
Add the salmon back on top of the orzo to heat through, about 2 minutes. Serve with lemon slices, fresh parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Storing and Reheating Salmon Piccata and Orzo
If your braiser has a lid, you can store the composed dish in the refrigerator with the lid on. If not, store everything in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last for up to 5 days. You can store the salmon separately or store everything together.
I recommend reheating everything together on the stovetop over medium-low heat until it’s just warmed through. You’ll probably need to add a little more broth or water, as the orzo will have firmed up in the fridge. This One Pan Salmon Piccata is one of those rare recipes that is also delicious cold or at room temp the next day. I recommend topping your leftovers with fresh lemon juice and herbs.
Tips for Making the Best Salmon Piccata with Orzo
- While optional, I sometimes like to peel the asparagus to get some of the fibrous outer layer off before cooking. Peeling asparagus makes it easier to bite into and gives them a softer, more delicate texture.
- Pat the salmon filet dry with paper towels before dredging in the flour mixture to ensure it sticks and fully coats the salmon.
- If you have skin-on salmon, start by cooking it skin-side down before flipping. You can peel the skin off much easier once it’s cooked than if you tried to remove it before cooking it.
- When using white wine in a recipe, avoid the temptation to buy a super cheap wine. If you wouldn’t want to drink a glass of it, don’t cook with it.
Why You’ll Love This One Pan Salmon Piccata with Orzo
- Easy: Everyone loves a one pan meal because it means fewer dishes and therefore less time in the kitchen.
- Fast: This one pan salmon piccata is the perfect weeknight meal because you can make it in just 30 minutes and there’s very little prep work involved.
- Healthy: Salmon is one of the healthiest sources of protein and the entire meal is well-balanced with carbs, fat, fiber, and vegetables. All in one pan!
- Scalable: If you’re hosting a dinner party or you have family in town, this is a super easy meal to scale. Make everything in a large Dutch oven and just double the recipe. You might have to cook the salmon in two batches, but they cook pretty quickly, so it shouldn’t add too much extra time.
- Versatile: This recipe can easily be suitable for pescetarians and can be made gluten-free by swapping the flour for a gluten-free flour and using rice instead of orzo.
