Melissa Clark’s Salmon with Anchovy-Garlic Butter

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Melissa Clark

Before you turn the page on this wonderful dish, let me assure that those dried-out and dreadful anchovies that someone left atop your last Caesar Salad are not at work here. Instead, these flavor makers are worth a great deal more than their weight in making this fast and easy dinner worthy of any Meatless Monday. The New York Times featured Melissa Clark’s recipe last week and then added it to its “Food” Email blast this week. And for good reason. It’s a winner. I love Melissa whose recipes pepper this blog because they are always easy for a home cook to achieve using combinations of ingredients most of us haven’t thought of combining before. Certainly anchovies and salmon qualify there. But the salty little fish really provide a wonderful contrast to the silky richness of the salmon.

It is worth it to pay more for these anchovies. I like a brand called Agostino Recco which I found in the specialty food aisle. Just don’t scrimp here or you’ll end up with the anchovies you hated on that Caesar. The dish takes all of 25 minutes to make, although its speed in helped along if you soften the butter an hour or so before you start to cook. That way the blending of the butter, anchovies and garlic yields a cohesive mixture that easy to work with. Half the

butter is used to ‘fry’ the fish in and the other half makes a quick pan sauce to spoon over the salmon once it emerges from the oven. The other flavor element that sets this dish apart is the addition of two tablespoons of capers. These become crunchy as they cook so you have this salty crisp element, a perfect counterpoint to the the fish itself. All in all this is a very simple recipe, a perfect weeknight meal and a great way to put fish into your diet. Here is the recipe:

Recipe for Melissa Clark’s Salmon with Anchovy-Garlic Butter

Serves 4 (but if serving two, stick to the recipe for making the butter and do not halve it.) Takes 25 minutes.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 anchovy fillets, minced

1 fat garlic clove, minced (or 2 small ones)

½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets

2 tablespoons drained capers, patted dry

½ lemon or lime

Fresh chopped parsley, for serving if you wish.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mash together butter, anchovies, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a large ovenproof skillet, melt about half the anchovy butter. Add fish, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes over high heat to brown the skin, spooning some of the pan drippings over the top of the fish as it cooks. Add capers to bottom of pan and transfer to oven. Roast until fish is just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and add remaining anchovy butter to pan to melt. Place salmon on plates and spoon buttery pan sauce over the top. Squeeze the lemon or lime half over the salmon and serve.

2 thoughts on “Melissa Clark’s Salmon with Anchovy-Garlic Butter”

Addie says:

May 30, 2018 at 1:51 am

This is a very mouth watering recipe which I gave a try. What a hit!! Such an experience for my taste buds. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

- Monte Mathews says:
  
  June 1, 2018 at 5:43 pm
  
  Dear Addie, I am always so pleased when people take time to write. So glad your Salmon was a success. All good wishes to you. Monte

Melissa Clark’s Salmon with Anchovy-Garlic Butter

2 thoughts on “Melissa Clark’s Salmon with Anchovy-Garlic Butter”

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