Salmon cooks fast on a weeknight, and a quick brown butter sauce transforms a simple fillet into something worth the shelf space. This one is ready in under twenty minutes.

Serves 2. 18 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 640 calories a serving, 36 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 54 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Pat the salmon dry with paper towel, season the flesh side with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium-high until shimmering, then lay the salmon skin-side up, flesh-side down, and cook until the skin releases easily and the flesh is opaque halfway up the fillet, about six minutes.6 min
2. Flip the fillet skin-side down and cook until just cooked through, about two minutes more. Transfer to a plate.2 min
3. Reduce heat to medium, add 4 tablespoons of butter and 2 minced garlic cloves to the same pan, swirling often until the butter foams, smells nutty, and the milk solids turn golden, about three minutes. Squeeze half a lemon into the butter, taste, and season with salt and pepper.3 min
4. Pour the brown butter and garlic over the salmon and serve with lemon wedges.

Note Substitute crushed caper berries or caramelized shallots for the brown butter if you prefer. Leftovers keep in an airtight container for two days; flake cold salmon over salad or stir into scrambled eggs for breakfast. Serve with roasted asparagus or steamed broccoli and rice or potatoes.