Lemon Dill Salmon
Pan-seared salmon, dill butter, lemon and crisp skin.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
Don't move the salmon while the skin is cooking. It WILL stick - and then it WILL release on its own the moment the skin is crisp. Patience earns you the perfect crackly skin.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 4skin-on salmon filletspatted bone-dry
- 4 tbspunsalted buttersoftened
- 3 tbspfresh dillfinely chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 1lemonzested and juiced and wedged
- 1garlic clovegrated
- 1 smallshallotvery finely minced
- 1 tbspcapersdrained, roughly chopped
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1½ tspkosher salt
- ½ tspblack pepper
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 529calories
- 35gprotein
- 4gcarbs
- 41gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Pat the salmon EXTREMELY dry, top and bottom. Wet skin = soft skin.
- Zest and juice lemon. Mince shallot, grate garlic, chop dill and capers.
Make dill butter
In small bowl, mash softened butter with dill, lemon zest, grated garlic, capers, minced shallot, 1 tsp lemon juice, salt. Set aside.
2 min · hands onSeason salmon
Sprinkle salmon flesh-side with salt and pepper. (Don't salt the skin - wait until after the flip to keep skin crisp.)
1 min · hands onSkin-down sear
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Lay salmon SKIN-DOWN, press flat with the spatula for 30 sec (prevents curling). Cook UNDISTURBED 4-5 min - the skin will release itself when crisp.
5 min · hands onFlip and butter baste
Flip salmon. Drop 2 tbsp of the dill butter into the pan. Tilt the pan and spoon foaming butter over the top of the salmon for 60-90 sec until medium (internal 125°F for medium, 130°F for well). Note: 125-130°F is restaurant-medium-rare. FDA-recommended safe internal for fish is 145°F - cook longer if you prefer fully cooked.
2 min · hands onPlate
Transfer salmon SKIN-DOWN to plates (preserves the crisp). Dollop remaining dill butter on top - it'll melt into a sauce. Pour any pan butter over too. Garnish with extra dill and lemon wedges.
1 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Cook 3 min per side instead of 4 (no skin to render). Saves about 2 minutes.
Treat identically to salmon.
Toss arugula with lemon and olive oil; flake salmon over. Adds about 5 minutes.
Start potatoes 30 min before salmon at 425°F. Adds about 30 minutes.
What keeps
Salmon is GREAT cold day 2 - flake over salad. Don't try to reheat hot - it dries fast.
Dill butter holds 1 week refrigerated.
Meet Maui,
the three-legged cat
who plans your dinner.
Think of her as a sous chef for your whole table. She plans dinner everyone will look forward to - built around your schedule and working in everyone's taste and dietary restrictions. That's the mental load of dinner, off your plate.
Join The WaitlistCurrently in closed beta on iPhone.
