Brown Butter Salmon With Scallions And Lemon Food

BROWN-BUTTER SALMON WITH LEMON AND HARISSA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place salmon in a large baking dish skin-side-down and season with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, use a rimmed baking sheet.)
• Heat butter in a small pot or skillet over medium heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, until butter foams and browns, about 5 minutes. (The whisking will help release the brown butter bits from the bottom of the pot, and those are the bits you want.)
• Add garlic slices, letting them sizzle and brown in the butter for 30 seconds or so, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot and whisk in harissa. Give it a minute or two to sizzle and toast a bit in the butter mixture. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water to the pot, whisking to incorporate.
• Season the brown butter-harissa sauce with salt and pepper and pour over salmon.
• Place in oven and roast until the salmon is just cooked through, but still nicely pink and medium-rare in the center, 12 to 15 minutes for a whole fillet, or 8 to 10 minutes for individual fillets. (If you prefer your fish well done, cook the whole fillet for 15 to 18 minutes, or individual fillets for 12 to 15 minutes.)
• Meanwhile, toss shallot with 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add lettuce and dill and toss to coat; drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Once salmon is just cooked through, remove from oven. Use a large serving spoon to scoop large chunks of salmon onto a serving platter or individual plates, leaving the skin behind in the baking dish. (No need to worry if you get smaller chunks too, but try to get the largest pieces you can.) Spoon any remaining brown-butter sauce from the pan over the fish and squeeze lemon over the top. Sprinkle with a bit more dill, if you have it. Serve with dilly lettuce alongside, and, if you like, potatoes or toast and aioli.

BROWN-BUTTER SALMON WITH SCALLIONS AND LEMON

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat salmon dry, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest of the lemon in wide strips. Cut the lemon into wedges for serving.
• In a large, ovenproof skillet, melt the butter over medium. When it's foaming, add the scallions and the lemon peel, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter turns brown and smells nutty, 3 to 6 minutes. (If you're using a light-colored pan, you'll see the browned bits in the skillet. If you're using a dark-colored pan, look for dark spots on the white parts of the scallions; those are browned bits of butter and a sign to remove the skillet from heat.)
• Immediately remove from heat, and add ⅓ cup of water. Stir to combine. Lay the salmon, skin side down (if there's skin), into the sauce. Cover the skillet and bake until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, or slightly longer if you're cooking a single, large piece. (You'll know the salmon is done when the fish flakes or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 120 degrees.)
• Eat the salmon with a spoonful of sauce and a squeeze of the lemon.

ROASTED SALMON WITH ASPARAGUS, LEMON AND BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

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