Salmon Roasted in Butter

By Mark Bittman

Updated September 17, 2015

  • Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(12,479)
Comments
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This simple fish dish is best made with wild salmon, but it works equally well with the farmed sort. It's astonishingly easy. In a hot oven, melt butter in a skillet until it sizzles, add the salmon, flip, remove the skin, then allow to roast a few minutes more. You'll have an elegant fish dinner in about 15 minutes. Don't be afraid to play with herb and fat combinations: parsley, chervil or dill work well with butter; thyme, basil or marjoram with olive oil; or peanut oil with cilantro or mint.

Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; Wild Salmon In a Hot Pan

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

  • 4 tablespoons minced chervil, parsley or dill

  • 1 salmon fillet, 1 ½ to 2 pounds

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • Lemon wedges

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

1 gram carbs; 93 milligrams cholesterol; 345 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 25 grams fat; 339 milligrams sodium; 27 grams protein

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

    Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the butter and half the herb in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon and place it in the oven. Heat about 5 minutes, until the butter melts and the herb begins to sizzle.

  2. Step 2

    Add the salmon to the pan, skin side up. Roast 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, then peel the skin off. (If the skin does not lift right off, cook 2 minutes longer.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn the fillet over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again.

  3. Step 3

    Roast 3 to 5 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the fillet and the degree of doneness you prefer. Cut into serving portions, spoon a little of the butter over each and garnish with the remaining herb. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
12,479 user ratings
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Comments

JO

I'm confused. Do you initially put the salmon in skin side down or up? The article says "flip and then take the skin off," implying you put it in skin side down. The recipe says to put it in skin side up.

CLW

Growing up in Washington, where fresh, wild salmon is so easily found, we have grown accustomed to the pure taste of mostly-unadorned salmon. Our favorite preparation, along with Mark's variation here, and grilled, is similar to Mark's, but it is put in the oven in foil or parchment, with butter and lemon slices. The steaming keeps the salmon so very moist and tender, thus the delicate and natural flavor of the salmon is allowed to shine.

Becca

This was just delicious! I was only doing 2 fillets so I pre-heated my cast iron skillet in the oven. When oven hit 475 I pulled out the skillet, popped butter into skillet w/salt & pepper and put salmon in immediately, skin side down. I added chopped herbs at the end and spooned melted butter over them. So tasty. The skin was a crispy treat.

Brown Butter Sauce

Cooked as written and it was SO good. The butter browned & made an awesome sauce we tossed over the broccoli & brown rice on our plates.

Lou-Ellen Barkan

Made a quick tomato, garlic, shallot sauté and added to salmon butter (after it cooks) to make a quick sauce. Made a great dish even better! Particularly during peak tomato season!

sue p

We just had this for dinner. I tweaked the recipe as Becca did in her review (we too only had 2 fillets). Used a cast iron pan and the salmon came out pretty good; texture was perfect but even with butter and dill, it was a little bland. Will definitely will try this again but adjust seasoning more to our liking. Very glad we tried this though!

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