Two wild coho fillets turn into dinner in twenty minutes with nothing but brown butter and a squeeze of lemon. The fish is rich enough to carry itself, so this is pure, quick cooking for a weeknight when you want something that tastes like care without the fuss.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 2650 calories a serving, 243 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 178 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Pat two salmon fillets dry with a towel and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat until a bead of water sizzles away in two seconds, then lay the fillets skin-side up in the dry pan and do not move them.
2. Cook until the flesh turns opaque halfway up the fillet, about four minutes, watching for the heat to brown the flesh but not char it. Check by gently pressing the thickest part with your finger; it should feel barely firm.4 min
3. Flip the fillets and cook one more minute on the skin side, then transfer to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium-low.1 min
4. Add three tablespoons of butter to the pan and swirl it constantly, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, until the solids turn deep golden and smell like hazelnuts, about two minutes. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the butter and swirl once more.2 min
5. Pour the brown butter and all its solids over the salmon and serve at once.

Note Swap the butter for a nut oil if you prefer. Leftovers keep three days in a covered container and are good cold with greens. Serve with roasted potatoes or rice, or alongside a simple green salad dressed with the other half of the lemon.