Salmon meunière has to be one of the quickest meals that you can get on the table. With just a few minutes of preparation and cooking, this can be on the table in leterally 10 minutes!
The fish is dredged with flour, to give a golden crispy coating in the pan, then a quick browned butter and lemon sauce is made in the same pan.
The capers go perfectly with the salmon, adding a little zing to this light and fresh dish.
Perfect for entertaining.
Bon appétit!
Why you will love this dish
The term meunière relates both to a French sauce and a preparation, that is primarily used for fish, particularly sole or trout. It can really be used for any fish, as the flavour of butter and lemon goes so well.
Meunière is translated as the miller's wife, so the preparation of the fish involves quickly dredging it with flour before pan frying.
The meunière sauce is a simple browned butter sauce with parsley and lemon, but the addition of capers add an extra flavour that I love. Of course, you can leave them out too and the sauce will still be delicious.
- quick and easy to prepare and cook
- perfect for a dinner for 2 but easy to cook for a crowd too
- easy to swap the herbs around for a different flavour
- use any fish that you prefer
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
- Salmon - 2 salmon fillets, ideally a similar even thickness for cooking.
- Flour - plain lor all purpose flour.
- Lemon - zest and juice of half a lemon and the rest for garnish.
- Parsley - fresh flat leaved parsley leaves.
- Butter - unsalted butter works best for the sauce.
- Oil - vegetable oil for pan frying the salmon.
- Capers - these salty morsels are actually flower buds and are delicious with salmon. They can be found in jars in most supermarkets.
- Salt - flaked sea salt.
- Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍽 Equipment
- Frying pan or skillet
- Fish slice
- Wooden spoon
- Lemon zester
- Sharp knife
🔪 Instructions
Cut the lemon in half.
Zest one half and squeeze the juice.
Slice the remaining half for the garnish.
💭 Top Tip
- Run your fingers over the salmon and remove any obvious bones with your fingers or tweezers.
- Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper or too much flour will stick to the flesh.
Put the flour in a shallow bowl and stir in the salt and pepper.
Dredge the salmon on both sides with the flour and shake off the excess.
Heat the oil in the pan over a medium heat and add the salmon skin side down.
Leave for 3 minutes until golden then turn the fish over for a further 2 minutes.
Remove the fish and transfer to a serving plate. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper and add the butter over a medium heat.
After a few minutes brown specks will start developing in the butter.
Now tip in the lemon juice, capers and chopped parsley.
Pour the meunière sauce over the salmon and serve immediately.
Garnish with the lemon zest and lemon slices.
🥗 Side Dishes
Salmon meunière is delicious on its own or with a green salad.
Try it with these dishes too
- Cavolo Nero Kale
- Celeriac Puree
- Samphire
- French Peas
- French Potato Dishes
- Tarragon Potato Salad
- Edamame and Broccoli Salad
- Celeriac Remoulade
Sauces for fish
Substitutions
- Oil - use sunflower oil or olve oil if you prefer.
- Capers - use chopped cornichons or leave them out.
📖 Variations
- Herbs - many herbs go beautifully with fish, try freshly chopped basil, dill, tarragon or oregano.
- Fish - try cod, pollack, skate, hake, haddock, plaice, red mullet, trout and sole. Thinner fillets will need a shorter cooking time.
- Meat - thin chicken , turkey or pork would all work well cooked this way too.
Storage
- Refrigerator - cool to room temperature, cover and store for up to three days.
- Freezer - wrap well to exclude as much air as possible and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat - pan fry over a low heat or wrap in foil and heat in the oven.
FAQs
Browned butter, or beurre noisette is formed when butter is heated. When butter is heated it starts to separate into a liquid and milk solids. As the mixture heats the butter will foam and spit as the water evapourates.
The milk solids then start to turn brown and smell deliciously rich and nutty. This can take around 5 minutes, depending on how much butter is being heated.
Beurre noir is a step further by alowing the milk solides to become much darker for an even more instense flavour.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More salmon recipes
More fish recipes
📋 Recipe
Salmon Meunière with Browned Butter
Equipment
- Frying pan or skillet
- Fish slice
- wooden spoon
- Lemon zester
- sharp knife
Ingredients
- 240 g salmon 2 fillets
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon flour plain / all purpose
- 1 tablespoon parsley fresh chopped
- 2 tablespoon butter unsalted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon capers
Instructions
- Finely chop the parsley.
- Cut the lemon in half. Zest one half and squeeze the juice. Slice the remaining half for the garnish.
- Put the flour in a shallow bowl and stir in the salt and pepper.
- Dredge the salmon on both sides with the flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat the oil in the pan over a medium heat and add the salmon skin side down.
- Leave for 3 minutes until golden then turn the fish over for a further 2 minutes.
- Remove the fish and transfer to a serving plate. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
- Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper and add the butter over a medium heat.
- After a few minutes brown specks will start developing in the butter.
- Now tip in the lemon juice, capers and chopped parsley.
- Pour the sauce over the salmon and serve immediately.
- Garnish with the lemon zest and lemon slices.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I love to read them and answer your questions. However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Natalie
Made your salmon recipe for dinner when my parents came over. They were thrilled with dinner, and you made me a proud cook, thanks!
Dannii
The browned butter on this was incredible. The perfect way to serve salmon.
Mahy
There is something about the browned butter that makes it go so well with salmon. Fantastic recipe!
Dionne
I could eat salmon every day. Delicious recipe and fantastic result!
Katherine
That browned butter sauce is incredible!
Sue
Great idea to pair this classic sauce with salmon!
Heidy
This Salmon meunière was incrediable. My entire family loved it, and so did I. I am saving this recipe to make again for my father when he gets here. Have a great day.
Elizabeth
This salmon is simple, quick and SO delicious! A perfect weeknight meal!
Aimee Mars
My kids love salmon and I always need a quick recipe for weeknights. This is perfect! I can't wait to try it.
Gail Montero
That browned butter lemon sauce sounds so delectable and surely adds flavor to the salmon! Love this!