It’s deep into winter right now, and I’ve been missing the freshness that’s usually more common in spring and summer dinners. However, this chickpea mash with green olives and parsley brings out a light and bright flavor profile that really nicely complements the rich salmon and hearty chickpeas.

I’m sharing a simple but delicious salmon dinner.
It’s mediterranean-esc with mashed chickpeas, tomatoes, and green olives.
The mashed chickpeas are a version of braised beans – something I love to eat, and is an elegant and fiber packed side dish. I throw in some spinach at the end to add in some leafy greens into the meal, and it’s so, so good.
Finish the mashed chickpeas with some chopped fresh parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and you’ll feel really good eating this.
It tastes clean, is flavorful, and it’s a fresh way (in my books!) of eating salmon.



Table of Contents
- Chef Tips
- Ingredients
- Prep
- Cooking
- Storage and Reheating
- Video Tutorial
- Looking for more similar recipes?
- The Recipe
Chef Tips:
On Ingredients:
- Green olives – I use castelvetrano olives, which are buttery and less punchy / salty than other olives. If you’re substituting Kalamata olives or any other olives, I’d recommend halving the amount and chopping the olives into small pieces.
- Tomatoes – this time of year, I try to get “vine” tomatoes, or “cocktail” tomatoes. Yes – they are not in season, but I love tomatoes and I find them to be quite good still. You could also omit this in the chickpea mash and it would still be delicious.
- Salmon – a very accessible / weeknight dinner fish for me. You could most definably substitute a nice white fish if you prefer. I recommend black cod (sablefish) or petrale sole.
- Chickpeas – canned is great. If you use dried, you’ll want to soak them overnight, then cook them for 45+ minutes. For a weeknight dinner, canned is best. If you don’t have chickpeas in your pantry, you can do this with any white bean.
- Fresh Parsley – highly recommend! I don’t usually love parsley, but it adds a nice freshness in this dish. Can substitute with cilantro or chives if you prefer.
On Prep:
- There isn’t much prep for this dish! clean as you go and you’ll be in great shape with this meal!!
For Cooking:
- Searing salmon – don’t try to flip the fish too early, as fish tends to stick. Cook it for at least 3 minutes on medium high heat, and the salmon will start to release from the pan. Feel free to also air fry the salmon if you prefer. 400F for 6 minutes should cook the salmon to 135F.
- Hammer the chickpeas – in order to mash, they need to be pretty well cooked. Continue cooking until they are easily mashable with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Finish with the extra virgin olive oil. You taste the olive oil with each bite and it’s very reminiscent of mediterranean meals I had in Greece 🙂
Storage and Reheating
Storage:
Reheating:
Other great salmon recipes:
- Salmon and Rice with Marinated Avocado Salad
- Early Summer Salmon and Quinoa Bowl
- Salmon Quinoa Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Video Tutorial
Recipe
Chickpea Mash with Mediterranean Salmon
Ingredients
- 12 ounces salmon
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
For the chickpea mash:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot diced
- 2 vine tomatoes cut into 1” pieces
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 can chickpeas 14 ounce can
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 8 ounces spinach
- 1/3 cup green olives I like castelvetranos. I used whole seeded, but pitted would be great too.
- 1/4 bunch parsley
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for finishing
- lemon sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep all the vegetables, aromatics, and herbs – dice the shallot, cut the tomatoes into 1” pieces, mince the garlic, and chop the parsley.1 shallot, 2 vine tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 bunch parsley
- Heat a pan on medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, the diced shallots, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the tomatoes and and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, then add the drained chickpeas and chicken broth. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes on medium high heat.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 shallot, 2 vine tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 1 can chickpeas, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup chicken stock
- As the chickpeas cook, portion and season the salmon with kosher salt and paprika.12 ounces salmon, ½ teaspoon paprika, Kosher salt
- Heat a separate pan on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the salmon and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the center of the thickest fillet reaches 135F. Remove the fish and set aside.
- Every 5 minutes or so, check and stir the chickpeas. Add 1/2-1 cup of water if the pan starts to look dry, and continue to cook and add water until you can easily mash the chickpeas with the back of a wooden spoon.1 cup water
- Mash half the chickpeas (I like a chunky, half mashed texture, but you could make this all mashed up if you prefer), then add the 8 ounces of baby spinach. Cover and cook for 1 minute, or until the leaves are wilted.8 ounces spinach
- Add a big pinch of salt and the chopped parsley, mix, and taste. Adjust with more salt and black pepper as desired, then serve each plate with 2 big spoonfuls of the chickpea mash and a piece or 2 of salmon on top. Drizzle with a bit extra virgin olive oil and lemon slices, and enjoy!Kosher salt, Black pepper, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, lemon, 1/3 cup green olives
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