Pan Seared Salmon with Lime Ginger Butter Sauce

"Absolutely heavenly!" That's what my husband said about this dish. The recipe and a photo appeared in the Inland Empire magazine May 2010 issue. I tried it and it's wonderful! I picked up some fresh, wild caught Sockeye Salmon from the local grocery store and followed the directions exactly. We served it with grilled onions and asparagus cooked in the Mario Batali Grill Pan (see earlier blog post) and rice. A pretty healthy dinner if I do say so myself.

 Strawberries are in season so I picked some up and used them as a garnish. Do yourself a favor and make this! Hint: don't overcook the salmon in the oven, otherwise it will turn out too dry and will have trouble absorbing the flavor of the lime butter. You only need 7 things for the salmon dish so get going!




Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons butter, softened, at room temp
• 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice, warmed slightly 
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 salmon filets (4 oz each)
• Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 500-degrees. (yes, 500!) In a small bowl, mix the butter, lime juice, ginger and parsley. Set aside. In a large, ovenproof skillet, add the olive oil and spread by turning pan to make a light film. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on salmon. When oil just starts to smoke, add salmon, skin side up, and cook about 1 minute or until nicely browned. Turn the fish over and cover the skillet, put in oven. Cook for 3 to 4 mins or until desired doneness. Use a thick potholder to remove skillet from oven. Press top of fish. If it's firm, it's done.
Serve immediately with ginger lime butter on top and extra fresh lime juice if you like. Makes 4 servings.