Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms

5 from 52 votes

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This is one of my favorite salmon dishes ever. It's truly a beautiful presentation, and perfect in the spring when leeks are in season!

Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms / Katie Workman / themom100.com / Photo by Cheyenne Cohen

This is one of my favorite salmon dishes of all time. The salmon is simply seasoned and marinated for a few hours, then quickly cooked in a skillet. You have a choice of finishing the fish in the oven or on the stovetop, and then it is topped with the best tangle of leeks and mushrooms. And it’s gorgeous — you’d be very pleased to serve it for company.

Serve this with rice, rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, polenta, or roasted potatoes.

Plate of rice and Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms.

Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms: One of those easy-but-sophisticated fish dishes that you will want to put on the regular rotation.

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Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms Ingredients

Salmon goes so well with mushrooms, in this dish bursting with umami flavors.

  • Salmon – Try to find similarly sized filets so they cook at the same time.
  • Leeks – Leeks can be very dirty, so make sure to wash them thoroughly before you cook with them (see here for how to clean leeks!). They are easy enough to rinse off, but a little dirt can spoil a dish. Don’t have leeks? Use 1 cup of chopped onions.
  • Mushrooms – I used shiitake mushrooms, but you can also use more readily available button or cremini mushrooms instead.
  • Orange juice – Fresh is best if you can swing it.
  • Olive oil
  • Soy sauce – The tiny amount of soy sauce adds a bit of depth (umami, if you will) to the marinade, but it’s not enough to give the dish a full-on Asian vibe. Soy sauce is a good thing to remember when you feel like your sauces or marinade needs a little more something — Worcestershire sauce is also good for that (but do know it has anchovies, so it is not vegetarian).
  • GarlicFinely minced garlic blends nicely into the dish.
  • Bacon, parsley, and lemon zest – All optional! You can add any of these on top of the mushroom mixture or just keep it simple.
Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms in a skillet.

Recipe Variations

  • If mushrooms aren’t your family’s thing, you could use chopped broccoli or sliced asparagus instead of the mushrooms. Or sauté the leeks for about 10 minutes, and then add a whole lot (like 3 or 4 cups) of chopped fresh spinach and then sauté the combo for just a minute or two more until the spinach wilts.
  • If you don’t need to turn on the oven for any other reason, take the option of flipping the fish instead. If you do need the oven on because you are roasting potatoes or whatnot, just finish it by baking or roasting it in the pan. Possibly less perfect in presentation, but a more eco-friendly thing to do if the oven isn’t already in use.

How to Make Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms

  1. Marinate the salmon: Combine the orange juice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper in a shallow container. Add the salmon, coat, then cover and let marinate in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.
  2. Sauté the veggies and mushrooms: If you want to finish the fish in the oven, preheat it to 450 degrees F (the stovetop is an option). Sauté the leeks for about 6 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the mushrooms into a bowl. Carefully wipe out the pan.
Sauteing mushrooms in large skillet and stirring with wood spoon.
  1. Cook the salmon: In the same skillet, heat the butter over high heat. Place the fish skin side down in the pan and cook, without moving the salmon, for about 5 minutes until the bottom is crispy. Transfer the pan to the oven if preheated and roast for another 5 minutes or until the salmon is done to your liking. Or, flip the salmon in the pan and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Salmon filets in a skillet.
  1. Serve: Top the fish with the warm mushroom leek mixture. Sprinkle the salmon with bacon, parsley and/or lemon zest, if desired.
Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms in cast iron pan.

What to Serve With Orange Salmon, Leeks, and Mushrooms

Woman using a fork and knife to cut off a piece of Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms.

More Mediterranean-ish Salmon Dishes

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5 from 52 votes

Orange Salmon with Leeks and Mushrooms

This is one of my favorite salmon dishes ever. It's truly a beautiful presentation, and perfect in the spring when leeks are in season!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 4 People

Ingredients 

  • 4 6 to 8 ounce filets salmon (about 1-inch thick, with skin)
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice
  • ¼ cup olive oil (divided)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
  • 2 leeks (washed and chopped; white and light green parts only; about 2 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 slice crisp cooked thick-cut bacon (crumbled; optional)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)

Instructions 

  • In a shallow container, combine the orange juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Add the salmon filets, turn to coat with the marinade, then cover the container and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 450 F if you want to finish the fish in the oven (continuing on the stovetop is also an option). Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté for about 6 minutes, until slightly softened. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms have released any liquid, and that liquid has evaporated, and the mushrooms have started to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the mushrooms into a bowl. Carefully wipe out the pan.
  • In the same skillet, heat the butter over high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Place the salmon skin side down in the pan and cook, without moving the salmon, for about 5 minutes until the bottom is crispy. Transfer the pan to the oven if preheated and roast for another 5 minutes, or until the salmon is done to your liking. Or flip the salmon in the pan and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Serve the warm mushroom leek mixture spooned over the salmon sprinkled with bacon, parsley, and or lemon zest if desired.

Notes

  • If mushrooms aren’t your family’s thing, you could use chopped broccoli or sliced asparagus instead of the mushrooms. Or sauté the leeks for about 10 minutes, and then add a whole lot (like 3 or 4 cups) of chopped fresh spinach and then sauté the combo for just a minute or two more as the spinach will wilt quickly.
  • If mushrooms aren’t your family’s thing, you could use chopped broccoli or sliced asparagus instead of the mushrooms. Or sauté the leeks for about 10 minutes, and then add a whole lot (like 3 or 4 cups) of chopped fresh spinach and then sauté the combo for just a minute or two more until the spinach wilts.
  • If you don’t need to turn on the oven for any other reason, take the option of flipping the fish instead. If you do need the oven on because you are roasting potatoes or whatnot, just finish it by baking or roasting it in the pan. Possibly less perfect in presentation, but a more eco-friendly thing to do if the oven isn’t already in use.

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 105mg, Sodium: 403mg, Potassium: 1179mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1128IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 3mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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5 Comments

  1. What a great recipe! Love the combination of salmon and mushrooms! And the recipe directions were great – came out perfectly cooked!

  2. This orange salmon recipe is probably the best salmon dish I’ve made to date! I don’t often cook with leeks as I don’t really know how to work with them so I appreciated your step-by-step instructions. Will make the salmon again soon – perhaps next time with the spinach suggestion.

  3. This turned out beautifully! I thoroughly enjoyed every bite! Unfortunately I had fixed some jalapeño poppers for an hours d’oeuvre, and my husband was ‘too full’ to eat! In all fairness, he was saving his stomach space for fresh peach cobbler. But his dinner is plated and he can reheat it tomorrow. I chose the salmon dish over peach cobbler…totally good choice! Thank you for the ingredients and wonderful dinner.