Recipes Ingredients Meat & Poultry Pork Recipes Baked Salmon With Creamy Orzo 5.0 (2) This delicious one-pan meal stars bacon-studded orzo and salmon flavored with lemon and coriander. Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Our recipe for baked salmon with orzo is a one-pan wonder that’s full of tangy, savory notes. The hearty, creamy orzo base is made with bacon, celery, and radicchio, which lends flavor and texture. The salmon is seasoned with a mixture of lemon zest and coriander before being nestled on top of the orzo where it cooks gently in the heat of the oven—no dry, flavorless fillets here. You can make this recipe in a skillet or Dutch oven and it's is ready in just 45 minutes. It's a perfect weeknight meal. Credit: Julia Gartland Choosing Your Salmon Wisely When you're at the seafood counter, you're likely to see a variety of salmon for sale. You can use either farmed or wild-caught salmon for this recipe, it all depends on your preferences and budget. (Note that wild salmon cooks more quickly than farmed, so plan to check it a minute or two sooner.) Appearance and taste: Farmed salmon is richer tasting and fattier than wild salmon. Light orange in color, it has silky flesh with visible lines of fat and is mild in flavor. Wild salmon has a deeper red-orange color and is significantly leaner than farmed. Taste wise, it tends to be stronger in flavor. Price: Wild salmon is typically two to four times the price of farmed salmon, though buying it frozen can cut down on the cost. Nutrition: Farmed salmon is higher in fat and cholesterol than wild salmon but does boast more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Wild salmon, meanwhile, is higher in calcium and iron. Lemon Zest: If you don't have a zester for the lemon, you can use a peeler or the small holes of a box grater instead. Directions Heat oven; sauté bacon, onion, and some of celery: Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine bacon, onion, and 1/4 cup celery in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high; cook, stirring, until bacon is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add orzo and liquids; simmer: Add orzo; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and broth; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until orzo is tender and liquid has nearly evaporated, 8 minutes. Season salmon; arrange over orzo and bake: Stir together coriander, zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Season fish with spice mixture and nestle into orzo in skillet; cover and transfer to oven. Bake until fish is just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes; transfer fish to a plate. After transferring salmon to a plate, tent it loosely with foil to keep warm. Stir radicchio and celery into orzo; serve with fish: Let orzo cool 5 minutes, then stir in radicchio with remaining 1/2 cup celery just until wilted. Return fish to skillet and serve, with lemon wedges. Repurposing Leftover Salmon If you find yourself with leftover salmon (which can be refrigerated for up to four days), you can use it to create a variety of new meals, including: Salmon salad: Flake it into a bowl and stir with mayonnaise, chopped celery, and a squeeze of lemon juice or try our mayo-free recipe with raisins and walnuts. Salmon cakes: Break fish into small pieces and blend with egg, mayonnaise, and crushed pretzels, then form into individual cakes and pan-fry Salade Niçoise: Pair salmon with mixed greens, potatoes, olives, and green beans for a riff on the classic salad Baked salmon sushi: Roll it up with thinly sliced vegetables and sushi rice for homemade sushi More One-Pan Seafood Recipes to Try: Shrimp-and-Basil Glass-Noodle Stir-Fry Sumac-Dusted Salmon With Broccolini Drunken Mussels With Chorizo and White Beans Fish Stew With Herb Toasts Shrimp With Spicy Green Rice Baked Cod With Tomatoes and Potatoes Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.