Herb Butter Pan Fried Salmon with Aioli

No doubt you have heard the expression that simple is best. In the case of this Herb Butter Pan Fried Salmon with Aioli, the expression most certainly applies! Salmon fillets are perfectly fried and topped with a fresh herb butter and drizzled with a delicious and easy to prepare aioli.

In our home, we all love salmon. To be perfectly honest, it is very rare that we all like the same thing. And, in the case that we do, it seems that we all like it to be prepared differently. Herb Butter Pan Fried Salmon with Aioli was one of those dishes that we all loved just the way it was.

Last week, in my Crispy Fried Shrimp recipe, I shared with you that I had prepared a whole side of salmon for just John.e and myself. It was so good! This past weekend, McKenna was visiting from Toronto and I knew I had to make this salmon for her. She loves salmon! I used two whole sides of salmon that I cut into roughly two and half to three inch fillets.

PREPARING SALMON

For most of us home cooks, salmon comes in the form of a whole side or fillets. Sometimes, we can find steaks too, but not too often. If you don’t know the terminology, let me walk you through it. A whole side of salmon is exactly what it says. The salmon has been cleaned and the side has been removed; hopefully bone free! In most cases, the skin is left on, which is the way I prefer it!

A salmon fillet is simple enough. The fillets are cut from the whole side of salmon, usually in two to three inch pieces. This is the most common cut. They’re great for frying or grilling. The whole side of salmon is hard to grill or fry, especially if you try to flip the whole thing onto the other side! In contrast, a salmon steak is a cross-sectional piece of the entire fish. It looks like a big letter U. This cut still has the bone in the middle. Again, this cut is great for frying or grilling.

For this recipe, I am using whole side that I have cut into fillets. The skin is left on, which, in my opinion, is the best way! I don’t eat the skin, but I tend to like it left on the salmon, especially if I’m going to pan fry it. Frying can be aggressive when it comes to a delicate fish like salmon. Leaving the skin on helps to keep the salmon together, especially when flipping it over!

OTTAWA VALLEY MEATS

The salmon you see in the photographs is from Ottawa Valley Meats. I used two of their Wild Caught Salmon Fillets. That equals to about three pounds of salmon. And, let me tell you, between the three of us, we ate it all! Salmon is just one of the many products they have. I know I’ll be going back there for more salmon soon! You can find a complete list at Ottawa Valley Meats.

If you are in Ontario, be sure to take a look at the website. Ottawa Valley Meats offers seafood, beef, poultry, pork, etc. And, they deliver right to your door! I have had other suppliers deliver meat and seafood, but they were the best! It comes in a freezer-refrigerated truck, which means the box doesn’t need to be stuffed with ice packs or dry ice. And, the food doesn’t need to be packaged into those silver cooler bags. Do you know what that means for me? Less waste!

Now that I have tried the shrimp and the salmon, I cannot wait to try the cod! In fact, just as I started to write up this post, I got an email stating that my next order was on its way! This time, I ordered ground beef, steak, and chicken too. I can’t wait to try those, because without a doubt, this was the best salmon I ever had! Just be sure to take a look at their website if you are looking for quality product.

HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE:

FOR THE SALMON:

• Salmon – I used three pounds, which is about two whole sides of salmon. You can use less or more. Halve the recipe or double it to suit your needs. Be sure the salmon is completely thawed!
• All Purpose Flour – Yes! It’s the key to getting a nice little bit of crisp on the salmon.
• Seasonings – All you need is salt and black pepper.
• Butter – Seafood loves butter, so frying the salmon is butter makes perfect sense. Plus, it adds so much flavour!
• Vegetable Oil – Vegetable oil will help to prevent the butter from burning.

FOR THE HERB BUTTER:

I don’t want to sound all preachy here, but I cannot tell you how important it is to use fresh herbs. This is a herb butter, so fresh herbs are a must! I understand that not everyone wants to buy all of these herbs for just one dish. If you live in Ontario, you can oftentimes find a fresh herb variety packet at Loblaws or Sobeys. Or, maybe you have a neighbour with a herb garden! Trade them a piece of salmon for a few springs of thyme, dill, parsley, and chives.

• Butter – I used salted butter. If you have unsalted butter, add 1/8 teaspoon salt.
• Thyme Leaves – Please use fresh thyme leaves!
• Parsley – Just like the thyme, the parsley must be freshly chopped.
• Dill – There’s no substitute for fresh dill in terms of taste.
• Chives – Finely chopped fresh chives to add some onion flavour.
• Ground Black Pepper

FOR THE HERB AIOLI:

• Mayonnaise – Just like most aioli recipes, this one starts with mayo. You can use full fat, light, or fat free.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice is best. If you’re serving salmon tonight, I assume you already have some fresh lemon on hand.
• Parsley – Fresh chopped parsley is best here.
• Thyme – Use only fresh thyme leaves. Take the time to remove the leaves from the stems.
• Dill – Fresh chopped dill is very flavourful and it pairs so well with salmon!
• Chives – Finely chopped chives will give your aioli a little bit of onion flavour.
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder – I use garlic powder instead of minced garlic, because fresh garlic tends to overpower the aioli in this case. This version is all about the fresh herbs.

START WITH THE AIOLI

An aioli is just a fancy word for mayonnaise that has been kicked up a bit. Real aioli comes from the south of France. There, it begins with a mortar and pestle and several cloves of garlic. The garlic is pounded to a paste and then it is whisked into egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil. But, who has time?

Mayonnaise is prepared using egg yolks and canola oil. Sometimes, the mayo is flavoured, but most of the time, it isn’t. Since both mayo and aioli start pretty much the same way, it makes sense to just use mayo for the base. We all need to take some shortcuts, right? The key to a good aioli is to get all of ingredients married together. That’s why I like to make it first.

And, it is so easy! Get all of your aioli ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together until there are combined well. Transfer to a food-safe container with a lid and pop it in the fridge. The longer you leave it there, the better it is! However, it should not be consumed after 4 or 5 days. Make sure it has at least two hours of resting time before you put it to use. Herb Butter Pan Fried Salmon with Aioli deserves nothing less than the extra effort!

LET’S FRY THE SALMON!

Frying salmon should not be intimidating. It’s actually quite easy! When I fry salmon, I prefer to have the skin on. No, I don’t eat the skin, but it does act as a security blanket for the fish. Most flaky seafood, like salmon, can easily fall apart when you cook it – especially if you have to flip it over! I find the skin helps to keep the salmon in one piece, and it looks prettier on the plate too! It is edible and some people do enjoy it!

The first thing I do is to lay the salmon skin side up onto a large plate. Season each piece well with some salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt! Remember that the salmon will be fried in salted butter, so you don’t want it to be too salty. Turn the salmon over and season the other side. The skin will now be facing up!

DON’T FORGET THE FLOUR!

Next, add a half cup of flour to a fine mesh sieve. Hold the sieve over the salmon! Dust the tops of the salmon with the flour by lightly tapping on the sieve. This flour will help to seal the moisture into the salmon and prevent it from drying out while frying. As you know, seafood can dry out very quickly, especially in a hot frying pan! The flour also helps to create a slightly crispy skin.

Once that is done, add the oil and butter to your skillet. Over medium heat, fry the salmon, skin side down, for 4 minutes. You might be tempted to move them with your flipper, but don’t do it. Let the skin sear and the salmon cook before attempting to move it or turn it. Otherwise, you might rip the skin or damage those lovely fillets! While you wait, dust the tops of the salmon in the skillet with the remaining flour.

Once the 4 minutes are up, flip them over and cook for another 4 minutes. Depending on how much salmon you are cooking, you might want to fry them in batches. Never overcrowd the pan! There should be at least an inch of space between each fillet. If you fry in batches, keep the fried salmon on a baking sheet in the oven set at 175 degrees F to keep the fillets warm.

HERB BUTTER SAUCE

Ok, the salmon fillets are done. It’s time to start on the sauce. The first thing you should so is to get rid of the dirty oil in your frying pan. You don’t need to properly clean it. Just grab a few paper towels and give the inside of the pan a good wipe. Now, put the pan back on the heat.

Add the butter to the pan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, carefully watch for bubbling. You will want the butter to have a good bubble, but not a full on boil! This is how I do it. Once the butter is fully melted, I will wait exactly one minute. Then, I add in all of the herbs and turn off the heat. Stir the herbs into the butter – be careful – they may pop and splatter!

Let the herbs sit in the butter for just one minute. Stirring the whole time. Then, remove the butter mixture from the skillet and transfer it to a glass bowl. Drizzle it over the freshly fried salmon and serve immediately – along with the herb aioli, of course!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

I think that Herb Butter Pan Fried Salmon with Aioli deserves to shine on the plate. That is exactly why I paired the salmon with mashed potatoes. I wanted something homey and something delicious, yet muted. How about my Herb Butter Mashed Potatoes? Do you see a running theme here? These are very flavourful, but they also mimic the flavour of the herb butter on the salmon.

Another great side for salmon is asparagus and I can’t think of a recipe better than my Lemon Butter Asparagus. It will work perfectly with this fried salmon! Before you get to the recipe, there is another salmon recipe here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen that I would like to draw your attention to. If you like a little spice, try my Sriracha Honey Lime Salmon. It’s delicious!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•