This easy one-pan Mediterranean salmon dinner comes together in just 30 minutes. The recipe features staples of Mediterranean cuisine: rice, chickpeas, tomatoes, olives, lemon, oregano, and feta cheese. It's healthy and gluten-free. Easy enough to make on a busy weeknight and fancy enough to entertain guests.
Healthy dinner high in protein and fiber
You'll be in love with this flavorful Mediterranean salmon. It's loaded with bright and fresh flavors and features traditional Mediterranean ingredients, such as rice, chickpeas, lemon, olives, feta cheese, and oregano. This main dish is packed with healthy omega-3s, fiber, and other nutritious ingredients. It's gluten-free, high-in-protein, and appropriate for a Pescatarian diet - a vegetarian diet that incorporates seafood. It takes only 30 minutes and requires one cooking pan. The cleanup is minimal - perfect for busy weeknights. My other favorite quick and easy salmon recipes are salmon with mango salsa and cilantro-lime salmon.
How to make Mediterranean salmon - a quick overview
- First, the salmon is seasoned with smoked paprika, dried oregano, and red chili flakes and pan-seared on the stovetop until tender and flaky.
- Then, you will combine cooked rice with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, olives, lemon juice, and feta cheese in the same skillet where you cooked salmon.
- Add the salmon on top, and your dinner is served! 30-minutes, one-pan! The cleanup is a breeze.
- Mediterranean salmon is like a Summer on a plate - bursting with flavors, and colors, and packed with so many good-for-you ingredients! It is sure to become a family favorite with both kids and adults!
Why make it
- Healthy recipe. Salmon is packed with protein and is a great source of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. It's also a natural food source of vitamin D. This recipe also features veggies and is packed with fiber (chickpeas). It's healthy, gluten-free, high-in-protein, high in fiber, and appropriate for a Pescatarian diet.
- 30-minute one-pan meal. Mediterranean salmon is a quick and easy recipe that takes only 30 minutes (and one pan!) yet tastes and looks like a restaurant-quality main course! It's a great choice for a simple weeknight dinner, and the cleanup is minimal. Or, serve it for special occasions (parties, anniversaries, holidays) to impress your family and friends.
- Flexible and easy to adjust. This recipe will work with other types of fish, such as trout, halibut, cod, or sea bass. You can use couscous, orzo, or small-shaped pasta instead of rice. As far as the veggies, the sky is your limit. Add/subtract your favorite veggies or whatever veggies you need to use up. My favorites are tomatoes, artichokes, asparagus, bell peppers, and spinach.
Mediterranean Salmon (30-Minute, One-Pan Meal)
This easy one-pan Mediterranean salmon dinner comes together in just 30 minutes. The recipe features staples of Mediterranean cuisine: rice, chickpeas, tomatoes, olives, lemon, oregano, and feta cheese. It's healthy and gluten-free. Easy enough to make on a busy weeknight and fancy enough to entertain guests.
Ingredients
Salmon
- 2 lb salmon fillets
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
Mediterranean rice
- 1.5 cups cooked jasmine rice
- 15 oz chickpeas canned
- 6 oz cherry tomatoes (2 colors) sliced in half
- ⅓ cup kalamata olives sliced
- ¼ cup green olives sliced
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Feta cheese mixture
- 6 oz feta cheese diced into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano or more
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano optional
- fresh oregano for garnish
Instructions
Cook salmon on stovetop
- Heat a large, high-sided skillet (I used cast iron) over medium heat for about 4 minutes to heat it up.
- I used salmon fillets with skin-on. Season the top of the salmon with smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried parsley, red chili flakes, and salt, using 1 tablespoon of olive oil to rub the spices on top of the fish.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot skillet. Add salmon skin side up and cook on medium-high heat for 4 minutes, undisturbed.
- Flip the salmon to the other side, skin side down. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Carefully slide a wide spatula between each salmon fillet and the skin to carefully separate the flesh from the skin. Remove salmon (without skin) to a plate.
- Remove skins from the skillet. You can eat them later or discard them if you don't like them.
- Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
Make Mediterranean rice in the same skillet
- Add cooked rice, drained chickpeas, sliced cherry tomatoes, and sliced olives, to the same, now empty, skillet.
- Add 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and reheat on medium heat, stirring everything to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, if you like.
- Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
Make feta cheese mixture
- In a medium bowl, combine cubed Feta cheese with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of dried oregano (add more to taste), 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano (if using).
- Mix so that the herbs and olive oil coat the cubed Feta cheese.
Assemble
- Add half of the feta cheese mixture to the skillet with rice and mix thoroughly.
- Add cooked salmon to the skillet with rice and reheat on medium heat.
- Top the rice with the remaining feta mixture. Sprinkle fresh oregano on top of the Mediterranean salmon and rice. Serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Mediterranean Salmon (30-Minute, One-Pan Meal)
Amount per Serving
Calories
859
% Daily Value*
Fat
44
g
68
%
Saturated Fat
11
g
69
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
9
g
Monounsaturated Fat
20
g
Cholesterol
163
mg
54
%
Sodium
1053
mg
46
%
Potassium
1635
mg
47
%
Carbohydrates
53
g
18
%
Fiber
11
g
46
%
Sugar
7
g
8
%
Protein
63
g
126
%
Vitamin A
918
IU
18
%
Vitamin C
17
mg
21
%
Calcium
359
mg
36
%
Iron
7
mg
39
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
What kind of salmon to use
- Individual salmon fillets. These can be purchased fresh or frozen. They usually don't have skin on. They are individually cut and usually, each fillet represents one serving.
- Large salmon fillet usually has skin on them. It's great for serving a crowd. You can slice a large salmon fillet into smaller fillets.
- Varieties of salmon. Buy the freshest and the most high-quality salmon fillets you can find. I prefer to use either Scottish salmon or Skuna Bay salmon, but, really, any high-quality salmon fillets will work in this recipe. Popular varieties are sockeye and king salmon. Use the fish as soon as you buy it - within a day - don't let it sit in the fridge for days.
Traditional Mediterranean seasonings
To keep things simple, I used smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried parsley, black pepper, and red pepper flakes for this salmon recipe. However, you can use a wide variety of spices and herbs to elevate this dish. Some of the most popular Mediterranean seasonings are listed below:
- Herbs. Basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, lavender, bay leaf, sage, tarragon, thyme, dill, and cilantro.
- Spices. Turmeric, saffron, coriander, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, black pepper.
Substitutions and variations
- Fish. This recipe will work with many types of fish, such as salmon, trout, halibut, sea bass, cod, mahi-mahi, and other similar fish. I recommend using fish fillets.
- Rice. I used jasmine rice. You can also use basmati rice, any long-grain rice, or Arborio rice.
- Pasta. If you're looking for other popular Mediterranean diet choices in place of rice, I recommend couscous or orzo. You can also make this recipe with short-cut pasta, such as bow-tie (farfalle), spiral pasta (fusilli), penne, or rigatoni.
- Beans. I recommend garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or cannellini beans. You can even use cooked lentils.
- Lime or lemon will work great. Freshly squeezed juice is always the best!
- Veggies. My favorite veggies for Mediterranean salmon are chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, green beans, cucumber, zucchini, arugula, and spinach.
- Cheese. You can use grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Mozzarella cheese instead of or in addition to Feta cheese.
Storage Tips
- Fridge. Store leftover cooked Mediterranean salmon (together with rice) refrigerated, in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. This recipe is freezer-friendly and perfect for meal prep! Freeze this dish for up to 2 months.
How to reheat
- Stove-top. Reheat over low-medium heat in any kind of appropriately sized cooking pan. Separate salmon from rice to keep fish intact. Add a small amount of olive oil when reheating, and stir the rice often. Flip the salmon a couple of times to heat it through and be careful to keep it intact.
- Microwave oven. Reheat the Mediterranean salmon in a deep, high-sided microwave-safe dish (bowl) for about 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave oven, stir the rice mixture well. Return to the oven and reheat for 30 more seconds or more, until heated through.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, the Mediterranean salmon freezes well since it doesn't have any cream. It's a perfect recipe for your weekly or monthly meal prep! While this meal can be frozen with tomatoes in it, it's probably the best to freeze it without the fresh tomatoes, and add them only when serving.
What to serve with it
Mediterranean salmon is a complete meal that doesn't need any side dishes. The only thing that can make it better is a side salad. Here are some easy and healthy ideas:
- Simple Arugula Salad with Lemon Zest, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts
- Greek Salad
- Avocado Mango Salad with Arugula
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Basil Pesto
This recipe is unbelievable. I spent most of my life not liking salmon but forced myself to eat it, and with a recipe like this, wow! I don't eat olives, so I chopped up fresh green beans instead. I am for sure going to cook this again. I also have fresh oregano in the garden, and that plus the lemon juice is just delicious.
Sarah, your review really made my day!! 🙂 I love that you used fresh green beans - what a delicious addition!
Made this last night--absolutely delicious! This dish will be going on regular rotation here. We eat a lot of salmon, so I expect to have this on repeat at least once a month--it's that good!
Robyn, thank you for your rave review, I so appreciate it! 🙂
Sounds absolutely delicious but 859 calories per serving seem really high!
Anna, this recipe does have rice, chickepeas, high-fat salmon - so the calories accumulate fast! But, this is a very wholesome meal, and these are, what I call good calories, not empty calories! These calories do not come from candy, chips. They come from well-balanced, nutrient-rich ingredients!
I'm thinking that the nutrition information was calculated incorrectly. The 879 is probably for the entire dish rather than per serving.
Hi Sharon! The nutritional info is per 1 serving (there are 4 servings in this recipe). But it's an estimated info - you can use other online calculators to compare.
I made this tonight and I would give it six stars if possible. Loved all the flavors and I will make it again soon for company - it was that good.
Thank you, Jeri, so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
Julia, this is my first time to your blog and preparing one of your recipes. Girl!! That had to be the best salmon dish I’ve ever had. Dang it was good!! So easy to prep and cook. I enjoyed the whole experience. I did swap the rice for orzo and it was perfection. Thank you so much. I look forward to receiving more yummy goodness in my inbox.
Shari, thank you for taking the time to share your rave review - it means so much to me! 🙂 Orzo is a great substitute for rice, I use either interchangeably.
Made it tonight for the first time. It was delicious. Only thing I will change next time is adding more tomatoes and olives.
Terri, so glad you tried this recipe! Thank you for your review! ❤️
Can this be made with orzo instead of rice?
Ross, yes, this will work great with cooked orzo! 🙂
Absolutely delicious,as all of your recipes I’ve tried.
so happy to hear that, Kate! 🙂 🙂
So delicious! This is a full meal deal, no need for any other dish to accompany. Thank you!
Debbi, I am so glad you loved this recipe - thank you for your review! ❤️
Loved this recipe, easy to pull together. Nourishing. Thanks Julia.
Alison, I am so happy you enjoyed this! Thank you for your review! 🙂
Will you please clarify the rice amount? Is it 1.5 cups uncooked and then cooked prior to the rest or really a total of 1.5 cups cooked rice? If so it doesn’t seem to be enough rice for 6 servings! Maybe it should read 1.5 cups rice, cooked? Thx!
Christa, I used 1.5 cups for the whole recipe. The recipe makes 4 servings - so I just updated the number of servings. You can up the amount of rice here to 2 cups cooked rice. Enjoy - I hope you love it! 🙂
this was excellent. A definite do again.
Rona, I am so happy you loved it! Thank you for your review! ❤️
I'll be making this recipe! We love salmon and Greek recipes. Great combo.
Laura, you won't be disappointed. This recipe is one of my favorites. Enjoy! 🙂
So so good!!! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Absolutely loved this dish! Wonderful flavors; so satisfying. Thank you!
The only change I made was to lower the carb/calories by putting everything on a bed of greens rather than the rice.
Easy to follow and an AMAZING finished product. The rice is very flavorful! I'm going to try the leftover rice cold as a salad with grilled chicken for lunch tomorrow