A nice rich butter sauce like hollandaise, flavoured with cayenne pepper, lemon juice and salt, works well with lots of fish, including pan-fried fillets of salmon. We also serve it in our restaurants with turbot for the ultimate seafood experience.
Serves 4
Ingredients
250g butter
2 egg yolks
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Lemon juice
Salt
4 x salmon fillets
Method
Start by clarifying the butter -which is done by simply melting it slowly in a pan. This is the process of splitting the butter and solids. You only want the butter to make this sauce.
Add two egg yolks to a bowl with two tablespoons of water. Then place over a pan of boiled water and begin to whisk. Continue to do so until it thickens. Season with a squeeze of lemon, a little cayenne pepper and a good pinch of salt.
Allow the clarified butter to cool for around 10 minutes and then slowly begin to whisk the butter into the thickened egg yolks (sabayon). Start very slowly and as the sauce gets thicker you can be more confident and add the butter faster until it's all mixed in.
To cook the salmon, season with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of oil to a pan on a medium heat and fry skin side down for 6-8 minutes before turning to complete the cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
These times will vary slightly depending on the thickness of your salmon. As a rule of thumb, allow 10 minutes per inch.
