Garlic Butter Salmon

Perfectly cooked garlic butter salmon fillets served in a lusciously thick sauce is an easy, one pan, stove top recipe for a delicious week night supper for two that is ready in about 20 minutes.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 salmon fillets (1)
• 1 tbsp plain / all purpose flour (3)
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules (2)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (5)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (4)
• 45 g butter (4)
• 2 cloves garlic (2)
• 60 ml chicken stock (7)
• 2 tsp lemon juiced (6)
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley (8)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Prepare the salmon - If you can, take the salmon out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to cook so it is at room temperature.Frying from chilled can make the salmon contract and become dry.
2. 2Coat the salmon with flour - Mix the flour, pepper and garlic granules together in a shallow bowl. Blot the salmon dry with some kitchen paper, add to the bowl turning it over so it is well coated with the seasoned flour.Dredging in flour helps add a glorious golden crust to the cooked salmon, and the flour left in the pan helps to thicken the garlic sauce.
3. 3Fry the salmon - Add the olive oil and about a third of the butter to a frying pan, melt the butter into the oil over a medium heat, then add the salmon. The butter added at this stage will brown adding a layer of nutty flavour.I use a good heavy (but not necessarily expensive) non-stick frying pan / skillet. Anything between 23-28cm (9-11″) is perfect.Fry for about 3 – 4 minutes on each side until golden. Once in the pan just let the salmon sit, there is no need to move it around all the time as this will dislodge the flour coating.While the salmon is frying peel and chop the garlic, and chop the parsley.When the salmon is cooked remove it from the pan ad place in a shallow bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate to trap the heat, so it carries on cooking to perfection in the residual heat. Resting the salmon in this way also allows it to relax and draw back al the juices into the flesh giving you moist and tender salmon.
4. 4Make the garlic butter sauce - Add the garlic to the pan and fry for a minute or two, until it is fragrant and starting to turn golden. Pay close attention as garlic can burn easily and will then taste horrid.Add the stock, giving the bottom of the pan a good scrape with your spatula so any remaining flour gets mixed into the sauce.Add the rest of the butter and let it melt, then add a squeeze of lemon juice. Bring to a very gentle simmer, stirring all the time until the sauce has thickened.Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary
5. 5Finish & serve - Return the salmon fillets to the pan (first removing the skin if you did not use skinless filets) for a few minutes. Baste them with the hot butter sauce as they reheat. Try not to move them too much to keep the fillets whole.Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and garnish with a few slices of lemon. Serve immediately.