15-Minute Pan Seared Salmon with Basil Tzatziki

Instructions

Tzatziki Sauce

1. Grate your cucumber onto two or three layers of paper towels, using the short end of the cucumber (instead of grating at a diagonal along the sides) to keep the bits of cucumber fairly short. (You will only use about 1/4 - 1/2 of a cucumber.) Gather the paper towels around the cucumber and gently press to remove much of the moisture; pat dry. Measure out 1/2 cup of the shreds (reserving any extra shreds and the remaining cucumber for another use) and set aside for a moment.
2. In a small food processor, blend the yogurt, basil, chives, tarragon, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper until the herbs are very, very finely minced and the sauce becomes a uniformly light green color. Scrape the sides two or three times as needed. (It's important that all pieces of herb are very finely minced into tiny specks; otherwise, you'll have unpleasantly too-large bits of herbs through your tzatziki.)
3. Scrape the tzatziki mixture into a bowl and stir the reserved 1/2 cup of cucumber into the tzatziki. Cover and chill in the refrigerator while you make the salmon, or up to about 4-8 hours, stirring before use if needed.

Salmon

1. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper evenly over both sides of the salmon fillets.
2. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and then add oil, swirling to coat the pan.
3. Immediately add the salmon to the pan, with the "prettier" side down and the side that was skinned facing up. Cook, covered, about 3 1/2 - 4 minutes. You want a nice, golden-brown, seared crust to have formed, and for the salmon to release fairly easily from the skillet when a spatula is scraped under it. (If you have to tear the salmon away from the pan, it's not quite ready to flip.)
4. Flip the salmon and continue cooking just another 1-2 minutes more, until it is cooked to your liking.
5. Serve salmon topped with tzatziki. For a pretty garnish, sprinkle a few minced chives on top (optional).