It’s always hard to plan for a fish meal around here, because it all depends on what the market has fresh. You can show up at the store with the best intentions of securing a thick halibut steak only to be disappointed with what clearly looks like it’s been sitting under the glass for a few days.
Fish is best fresh, there’s no way around it. The fresher the better! So, the best attitude to approach the fish section is, what looks best?
With whole fish, you can usually tell just by looking at the eyes—they should be clear, not foggy and sunken. With fillets, if the surface is dried out and tired looking, that’s not a good sign. The fillet should glisten, like it was just cut, and should smell fresh, not fishy.
The day we cooked this salmon, it was the best looking fish at the counter, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was so good I called my dad over and told him to stop eating his lunch, wrap it up, and get over here to eat this salmon. Which of course he did, because when fish is good, it must be eaten immediately.
The recipe is simple! It’s just salmon fillets fried on the stovetop in a high smoke point oil (we like to use rice bran oil) and served with a sauce made with lemon juice, stock, and cream.
We like to sauté skin-on salmon, because when the skin is crispy fried, there’s nothing better. It’s like salmon bacon.
In this recipe we are pan-frying the salmon. If you prefer, you could just as easily bake or poach the salmon, and serve it with the same sauce.
Recipe and photos updated, first published 2012.
Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce Recipe
We used skin-on salmon for this recipe, but you can use skinless fillets if you want. The skin tastes great when it is fried and crispy (salmon bacon!).
When buying skin-on fish, make certain the fish has been scaled. Ask your fishmonger to do this at the store.
Make sure you use "heavy" whipping cream for the sauce or it will curdle.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chicken broth, fish stock, clam juice, white wine, or water
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp canola or rice bran oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
- Parsley for garnish
Read More: Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce
