Roasted Salmon With Asparagus, Lemon and Brown Butter

By Kay Chun

Published April 13, 2021

Roasted Salmon With Asparagus, Lemon and Brown Butter
Beatriz Da Costa for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(1,581)
Comments
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Ready in just 15 minutes, this fast dinner combines silky salmon with a vibrant green medley of asparagus and peas. While the fish roasts, the vegetables and sauce come together in one pan on the stovetop. Thinly slicing the asparagus is the trick to maintaining a crisp texture that complements the tender salmon, while bright lemon juice and zingy capers balance the nutty brown butter sauce. Parsley is used here to finish, but dill or tarragon would also be lovely. Leftover vegetables make a fantastic omelet filling the next day.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4(6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1pound asparagus, tough stems trimmed, stalks sliced ¼-inch-thick on a slight bias (leave tips whole)
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus wedges for serving
  • 2tablespoons drained capers
  • ½cup thawed frozen peas
  • ¼cup coarsely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

557 calories; 41 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 780 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. Rub salmon all over with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange skin side-down on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until medium, 8 to 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    While the salmon roasts, prepare the asparagus: In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add asparagus, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a plate.

  3. Step 3

    Reduce heat to medium and add butter to skillet. Cook, stirring, until foam subsides and butter is deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. (Be careful not to burn). Turn off heat and stir in lemon juice, capers, peas, parsley and cooked asparagus. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Divide vegetables among plates. Top with salmon and spoon over any remaining pan sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,581 user ratings
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Comments

Barbara

I cook asparagus with a teaspoonful of water in the microwave on high for one minute and it is tender-crisp every time. The butter sauce, if desired, could be added afterward.

Martha

Roasted the asparagus along with the salmon. Added butter to the drippings the the rest after the butter browned for the sauce. Easy and repeat worthy for a week night dinner.

Anita

We found this greasy with the amount of butter called for. Next time I’ll skip the butter and after sautéing the asparagus I’ll make a pan sauce with stock or wine plus the lemon juice and capers, which were delicious over the asparagus. And more sauce would be welcome over the bland salmon.

LCJ

The farmers market had oodles of asparagus that had been a little frozen so had to be used right away and was deeply discounted. Roasted it all lightly one night and then for this recipe browned the butter and added some cut up already roasted asparagus and the thawing peas and covered while the salmon roasted. Added the lemons, capers, and cilantro (no parsley) at the end. Excellent dish. Very pretty with the round peas and capers against the short stalks.

Helen Peeples

Made with less butter. Excellent. Next time though, I'd grill the salmon and asparagus and finish the asparagus in the skillet, per recipe. AND add more peas!

SusanS

Way too much butter!

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