Wild salmon with preserved lemon butter

By: Skye Gyngell
From: Spring
Serves: 4
Photographer: Andy Sewell

I cook fish very simply, to appreciate its superb qualities. Invariably, I leave the skin on, as a well cooked skin – beautifully coloured with a definite bite – is the perfect counterpart to the sweet delicate succulent flesh beneath. We cook most firm-fleshed fish the same way: skin side down in a hot pan with a little olive oil, without turning or prodding until the skins pops from the base of the pan. Then, still unturned, we finish the cooking in a hot oven for a minute or two. Cooked this way, the flesh stays delicate, plump and very pure.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
4	wild salmon fillets, about 200g each
1 tablespoon	olive oil
	sea salt
	freshly ground black pepper

For the preserved lemon butter

Quantity	Ingredient
160g	unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons	thyme leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons	finely chopped flat leaf-parsley
1 tablespoon	chopped preserved lemon

Method

First prepare the flavoured butter. Put the butter in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until really soft and light. Add the chopped herbs and preserved lemon and stir well until evenly incorporated. Spoon the butter onto a sheet of baking parchment and shape to form a log, enclosing the butter roll in the paper. Twist the ends of the paper to seal, then refrigerate for a couple of hours.
When ready to eat, preheat the oven to180°C. Place a non-stick ovenproof frying pan, large enough to hold the salmon fillets comfortably, over a medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is just smoking, season the fish all over with salt and pepper and lay the fillets, skin side down, in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, without turning, then transfer the frying pan to the middle shelf of the oven and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Remove from the oven (remembering to protect your hand as the pan handle will be very hot) and place the fish fillets on warm plates, skin side up.
Place a generous slice of the flavoured butter on top of the salmon and allow it to sit and slightly melt for a couple of minutes before serving.

Tags:: Skye Gyngell; seasonal; Spring; London

Wild salmon with preserved lemon butter

Ingredients

For the preserved lemon butter

Method

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