A quick lemon cream sauce comes together as the fish is frying.
Fish is best fresh, there’s no way around it.
The fresher the better!
Elise Bauer
So, the best attitude to approach the fish section with is, what looks best?
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.
Elise Bauer
Which of course he did, because when fish is good, it must be eaten immediately.
Salmon and Lemon Cream Sauce All in One Skillet
The recipe is simple!
We like to saute 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.
Recipe and photos updated, first published 2012.
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.
confirm you use “heavy” whipping cream for the sauce or it will curdle.
Immediately lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
While the sauce is cooking, check the salmon for any stray scales (if skin-on).
Use needle nose pliers to remove any pin bones.
Add the oil to a saute pan large enough to fit the fillets in one layer.
Heat the pan on high and let the pan heat up for 90 seconds.
Lay the fillets in the hot pan and lower the heat to medium.
Let the fillets sizzle steadily for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is.
A 1-inch-thick fillet will take about 5 minutes.
With a metal spatula, gently turn the fillets over.
Cook for another 1 to 5 minutes, depending on how well-done you like your fish.
If you’ve crisped up the skin, serve the fillets skin-side up so they stay crispy.
Otherwise, serve the fillets skin-side down.
