Brown butter and preserved lemon salmon
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Brown butter and preserved lemon salmon
Nutty brown butter and tangy preserved lemons make a deliciously speedy sauce for pan-fried salmon. Serve with a light leafy salad or some wilted seasonal greens
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Nell Gordon-Hall
Our food producer Nell’s cooking is rooted in the bold and fresh flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Trained in professional kitchens and with a background in food styling, she understands exactly how to make food taste delicious and look great. The kitchen is where she works and – just as often – where she unwinds.
Nell Gordon-Hall
Our food producer Nell’s cooking is rooted in the bold and fresh flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Trained in professional kitchens and with a background in food styling, she understands exactly how to make food taste delicious and look great. The kitchen is where she works and – just as often – where she unwinds.
Ingredients
- 700g floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper), cut into chunks
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 x 30g pack flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stalks finely chopped
- 4 skin-on salmon fillets
- young leaf spinach, to serve (optional)
For the brown butter sauce
- 100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 30g preserved lemons, drained and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 40g capers
Step by step
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Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Par-boil the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water over a medium heat for 7 minutes. Drain the potatoes well and transfer to a baking tray. Add half the lemon wedges to the tray and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic. Season and roast for 40 minutes, stirring halfway, until the potatoes are crisp and golden. Stir through half the parsley and set aside.
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When the potatoes have had 10 minutes in the oven, pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and season. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook the salmon, skin-side down, for 3 minutes until crisp. Flip and fry for 2 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
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To make the sauce, melt the butter in the same frying pan and cook for 5 minutes, until it has turned brown and smells nutty. Add the preserved lemons, garlic and capers, then cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir through the remaining parsley.
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Divide the roast potatoes and lemon among plates, add the salmon and pour over the sauce. Season with black pepper and serve with the spinach (if using) and remaining lemon wedges for squeezing.
