Copper River Salmon with Herb Butter

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet
• •Fish spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fish tweezers or needle-nose pliers

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the compound butter

   Place the softened butter in a medium bowl. Add the dill, chives, parsley, lemon zest, half the lemon juice, shallot, and garlic. Mix with a fork until everything is evenly distributed. The butter should be speckled green and smell impossibly fresh. Season with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Taste it. Adjust. This is your sauce, so it needs to be perfect.

   If your butter is too cold, it won't incorporate the herbs properly. Leave it out for 30 minutes before mixing.
2. 2

   Shape and chill the butter

   Spoon the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Roll it into a log about an inch and a half in diameter. Twist the ends to seal and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. You want it firm enough to slice into neat coins that will sit proudly on the hot fish before slowly surrendering to the heat.

3. 3

   Prepare the salmon

   Remove the salmon from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. Cold fish in a hot pan is a recipe for uneven cooking and a skin that sticks. Pat each fillet aggressively dry with paper towels. Press down. Blot again. Moisture is the enemy of a crisp skin. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Be assertive. Much of it will stay in the pan.

   Run your fingers across the flesh side to check for pin bones. If you find any, pull them out at an angle using fish tweezers or clean needle-nose pliers.
4. 4

   Heat the pan

   Set a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it heat until you see the first wisps of smoke. This takes longer than you expect, perhaps three full minutes. Patience here determines whether your skin releases cleanly or tears apart when you try to flip.

5. 5

   Sear skin-side down

   Lay the fillets in the pan skin-side down, pressing gently with a fish spatula for the first 20 seconds to prevent curling. You'll hear an aggressive sizzle. Good. That's the sound of the Maillard reaction building your crust. Reduce heat to medium and cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes. Watch the sides of the fish. You'll see the color change from ruby-red to opaque pink, climbing upward. When the color reaches about two-thirds of the way up, the skin will be golden and will release from the pan without resistance.

6. 6

   Flip and finish

   Turn the fillets and cook flesh-side down for just 90 seconds to 2 minutes for medium-rare. The center should still feel soft when pressed, yielding but not mushy. Copper River sockeye is lean enough to cook through quickly but fat enough to stay moist. Don't overcook it. This fish didn't swim three hundred miles to become dry and chalky on your plate.

   For a more precise approach, use an instant-read thermometer. Pull the fish at 120°F for medium-rare. It will climb another 5 degrees while resting.
7. 7

   Rest and top with butter

   Transfer the fillets to warmed plates, skin-side up so that beautiful crust stays crisp. Let them rest for one minute. Slice the compound butter into half-inch coins and place one or two directly on top of each fillet. The butter will begin to soften and melt, pooling around the fish and creating a simple sauce that needs no further intervention.

8. 8

   Serve immediately

   Finish with a squeeze of the remaining lemon juice, a scattering of flaky salt, and perhaps a few extra fronds of dill. Serve at once while the butter is still glistening and the skin still audibly crisp. This is honest food at its best. No tricks, no distractions, just a magnificent fish treated with the respect it deserves.

Chef Tips

• •Copper River salmon has a short season, typically mid-May through mid-June. When you see it, buy it. If your fishmonger doesn't carry it, King or Sockeye from other Alaskan waters make worthy substitutes. What matters is wild-caught, sustainably harvested fish with intact fat content.
• •Make a double batch of the compound butter and freeze the extra log. Wrapped tightly, it keeps for two months. You'll find yourself reaching for it constantly, whether for corn on the cob, steamed vegetables, or a quick pan sauce for chicken.
• •A fish spatula is worth owning. Its thin, angled blade slides beneath delicate fillets without tearing. Metal on metal is fine here. Ignore anyone who tells you otherwise.
• •Pair this with an Oregon Pinot Gris or a Washington State dry Riesling. Both have the acidity to cut through the richness without overwhelming the fish.
• •Save any leftover salmon. It makes a superlative addition to scrambled eggs the next morning, flaked and folded in at the last moment.

Advance Preparation

• •Compound butter can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 2 months.
• •Salmon should be purchased the day you plan to cook it, or one day before at most. This is not a fish that benefits from sitting in your refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)