Seared Salmon with Cucumber-Dill Salad

From the garden

• 2 large cucumbers, very thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 small shallot, very thinly sliced

From the pantry

• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ tsp sugar
• 4 pieces salmon fillets — about 6 oz each, skin on
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• salt — to taste
• black pepper

1. Toss the cucumber slices with a half teaspoon of salt in a colander and let them drain 10–15 minutes, then press gently and blot dry. Salting first is what keeps the salad crisp instead of watery.
2. Stir the sour cream with the vinegar, sugar, dill, shallot, and a few grinds of pepper. Fold in the drained cucumbers and chill until serving — the salad only gets better with 10 minutes in the fridge.
3. Pat the salmon very dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high until shimmering.
4. Lay the fillets in skin-side down and press each gently for a few seconds so the skin stays flat. Cook 6–7 minutes without moving, until the skin releases easily and the flesh is opaque two-thirds of the way up the sides.
5. Flip and cook just 1–2 minutes more, until the salmon flakes at the thickest point but is still moist inside. Serve skin-side up with the cucumber-dill salad and lemon wedges.