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Cajun Salmon Orzo is the perfect Fish Friday dinner! It’s flavorful, creamy, filling, and quick - it takes only 25 minutes to make.
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Friday’s are fish days at our house, it’s a Catholic tradition that we stick to the best that we can. Each Friday, it’s a struggle to figure out what I’m going to make that the entire family will eat.
And guess what? This dish was (and is!) a total winner. So much so that we’ll be making on repeat throughout the year. It’s that good!
Ingredients
Gather up the ingredients, feel free to make sub substitutions and take some liberties.
You'll need:
- Wild caught salmon filets
- Cajun seasoning
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Orzo
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Lemon juice
- Parsley, for serving
How to make it (+ video!)
Let’s discuss how to make this dish.
If you’re more visual, head over to my TikTok and check out the video that goes with it for a quick video step-by-step.
- First season your salmon filets with cajun spice.
- Then sear them in a hot pan.
- Remove them from the pan and add some butter, the orzo, garlic and shallot to the pan. Give it a quick saute.
- Then add the broth and stir until the orzo has absorbed all the liquid.
- Stir in the heavy cream, parmesan, and lemon juice.
- Return that salmon to the pan and let it stand for a few minutes (so that the sauce can thicken up).
- That’s all there is to it! Easy dinner!
- And so much quicker, tastier, and healthier than takeout, I might add!
Substitutions
- Broth - you can use chicken bone broth or vegetable broth. This is totally up to you.
- Spinach - you could add a few handfuls of spinach to your orzo as it cooks to veggie it up.
- Season it up - when developing this recipe I meant for it to be very family friendly, so I didn’t add a lot of spice, but if you like spice you could add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the orzo mixture.
Sides to serve with Cajun Salmon Orzo
This dish is great paired with a steamed vegetable or a big salad (such as this arugula apple salad).
Similar recipes you will love <3
If you like orzo and cajun spice, give my Cajun Chicken Orzo a try!
Ingredients
- 4 wild-caught salmon filets
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ shallot minced
- 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Coat the salmon filets with cajun seasoning on both sides.
- Drizzle olive oil into a pan over medium heat.
- Sear the salmon filets on each side for 3-5 minutes. Be sure the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees fahrenheit.
- Remove them from the pan and tent with foil.
- Turn the heat down to low. Don’t clean the pan, add the butter, orzo, minced garlic, and shallot. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and stir until all of the liquid is absorbed. This should take about 5-7 minutes, I find the time varies depending on your range and pan.
- Add the heavy cream, parmesan, and lemon juice. Stir until the cheese is fully melted.
- Turn the heat off, and return the salmon to the pan.
- Let stand for 2-3 minutes (the sauce will thicken up).
- Top with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin it for later + let's connect!
Be sure to Pin this recipe (click on the image below) and follow me on Pinterest! I love to pin and you can always find me over there! 🙂
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