Grilled Alaska Salmon with Crispy Garlicky Chickpeas

Even if you have little time and what feels like no food in the house, you can pull together a brilliant meal in just 20 minutes. The secret? Frozen wild Alaska salmon. Throw it right on a hot grill pan (yes, while still frozen!), toss some arugula (or whatever salad greens you like) on a plate, and cook up a can of chickpeas with garlic and oregano, and you’ve got yourself a company-worthy meal.

Learning that you can cook Alaska salmon fillets directly from frozen—no thawing or pre-planning necessary—has seriously upped our fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants weeknight dinner game. We’ve always relied on wild Alaska salmon because of its superior quality and sustainable and ethical fishing and business practices. The fish is flash-frozen to ensure it’s as fresh when you eat it as the day it was caught. But until recently we thought frozen fish required forethought; you have to remember to move it from the freezer to the fridge ahead of time, right? Nope.

We’re here to tell you that you can throw frozen fish on a grill pan and have a perfectly grilled piece of fish in 10 minutes.

If you're looking for sides, consider pleasantly bitter arugula and watermelon radishes along with crispy chickpeas for that divine crunch.

Put it all together and the flavors are out of this world. And best of all, if you multitask cooking the chickpeas and salmon, then the entire meal can be on the table in 20 minutes, no advance planning necessary.

Grilled Alaska Salmon with Crispy Garlicky Chickpeas

Yield: 4 Servings
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
Nonstick oil spray or olive oil
4 cups (2 ounces) baby arugula
4 watermelon radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 (4-ounce) Alaska salmon fillets, frozen
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat your grill to 400oF. Divide washed arugula and radishes between 4 plates and set aside.

2. Rinse seafood under cold water to remove any ice glaze and pat dry with paper towel. Tear an 18-inch-wide sheet of foil, so that it's 4 inches longer than the fish. Spray-coat the dull side of foil and place seafood on foil, if using skin-on fillets, place skin-side down first. Brush both sides of fish with oil. Bring sides of foil together and fold over several times to seal; roll up ends to form a packet. Place packet on grill, seam-side down, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove packet from grill; open and add salt and pepper to taste. Crimp foil loosely to close and return packet to grill, seam-side up. Cook an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat just as soon as seafood is opaque throughout. Place one salmon fillet on each plate atop the arugula.

3. While the fish is cooking, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas, oregano, garlic, and salt. Cook the chickpeas, stirring occasionally, until crispy and starting to crackle, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and use a slotted spoon to divide chickpeas among the 4 plates of salmon.

4. Whisk lemon juice and zest into remaining oil in pan, then drizzle heaping tablespoon or so over the salmon and arugula on each plate. Season with freshly ground pepper and additional salt if needed, and serve.

Want more ways to cook your Alaska salmon from frozen? Try our recipes for Honey-Soy Alaska Salmon with Charred Scallions and Black Sesame Seeds, 20-Minute Alaska Salmon with Pistachio-Parsley Pesto, and Instant Pot Alaska Salmon and Farro Bowl with Pickled Cucumbers and Kimchi.