Welcome back to Just Five, a new column where we share recipes for refined and delicious dishes that use just five ingredients, excluding butter, oil, salt and pepper. There’s just one rule of thumb: Always choose the highest quality ingredients, as each will stand out in the recipes we feature. Salmon has become something of the boneless, skinless chicken breast of our dinners lately, and finding a new way to present it to my family has been a frustrating task. But I’ve found that compound butters are an easy way to perk up simple recipes. Citrus and herbs combine nicely with butter to create a tasty sauce when melted over a piece of seared or roasted fish or chicken. In this recipe, the pungent sharpness of the shallot makes a harmonious pairing with the sweetness of the orange and the creaminess of the butter. Other combinations to try include lemon, ginger and chives, or lime, garlic and cumin. Searing your salmon is a great way to give it a bit of a crust on top while keeping the inside juicy and tender. Couscous or rice and steamed broccoli with slivered almonds make this an easy weeknight meal.
Seared Salmon with orange-shallot butter Serves 4
Adapted by Dee Ryan from a recipe by Isabelle Alexandre originally published on FineCooking.com.
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. orange zest, plus 1½ Tbsp. fresh orange juice, warmed slightly
1 Tbsp. finely minced shallot
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
Olive oil for searing
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
4 salmon fillets, patted dry
• Preheat the oven to 450.
• In a small bowl, mix the butter, orange zest and juice, shallot and thyme until well blended. Set aside.
• Set a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to make a light film.
• Salt and pepper the salmon fillets lightly and place them in the skillet, skin side up.
• Cook for about 1 minute, until they are lightly browned.
• Flip the fish over and place the skillet into the oven for about 4 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and top each fillet with about 1 teaspoon of orange-shallot butter.
Leftover compound butters can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator or for weeks in the freezer.
More salmon recipes
This article appears in February 2011.