Recipe
March 21, 2017
One-Side Sautéed Salmon With Chive Butter Sauce
Try this recipe for One-Side Sautéed Salmon With Chive Butter Sauce from the Elisabeth Prueitt’s cookbook, Tartine All Day.
I worked as a server in a Scandinavian restaurant in New York City in the late ’80s, where I served a dish like this one; this is my affectionate replication. It’s a recipe that has stayed in my memory for so long because of its striking flavors, simplicity, and visual appeal: salmon seared on the skin side only, with the top of the fillet rare, and then served with a vibrant, green chive sauce. It is definitely a dish for people like me who love medium-rare or rare salmon. I’m sure it was served with a potato side dish at that New York City restaurant.
Directions
Yield: Serves 4
- Check the salmon for pin bones (the tiny bones that aren’t attached to the fish’s skeleton) by running your fingers over the fillet. If you need to remove any, slide a hand under the fillet and lift the fillet slightly so it bends at the point where the pin bone is located. Grasp the protruding bone with tweezers or needle-nose pliers and gently pull the bone out. Repeat until all the pin bones are removed.
- Season the skin side of the fish with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Place the salmon skin-side down, gently pressing on the top if it curls up on the bottom. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the fish turns opaque about three-quarters up from the bottom of the fillet, about 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare, or to your preferred doneness.
- Transfer the salmon to a plate and let cool slightly while you make the sauce.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the chives, parsley, salt, and lemon juice to the melted butter, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Do not let the sauce boil.
- Transfer the sauce to a container that will fit an immersion blender (such as a Mason jar). (Due to the small amount of sauce, using a regular blender may not work, unless you have one with a small capacity container.) Mix to blend the sauce. Season to taste and add more salt and lemon juice if needed.
- Pour the sauce on the serving plate, place the salmon on top, and serve.
Reprinted with permission from Tartine All Day: Modern Recipes for the Home Cook by Elisabeth Prueitt, copyright © 2017. Published by Lorena Jones Books/Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photography credit: Paige Green © 2017