Calabrian Chile Butter Salmon

With shaved zucchini and pistachio salad

Fish + fat + pantry staple + broiler = the method I return to again and again when it comes to cooking fish. In April, that worked for my Mustardy Salmon with Avocado and Cucumber Salad. Instead of mayonnaise I’m using butter this time around; swapping brown sugar for honey to encourage caramelization; and adding in Calabrian chile paste instead of mustard for a bit of heat. It’s an easy way to add a ton of flavor with pantry staples. To go with it, zucchini gets shaved into ribbons and prepared into a simple salad. It’s perfect for all that young zucchini that’s starting to hit the farmers market stands that’s still tender and sweet. You could also serve it with the above cucumber salad, or something else entirely.

A few notes to consider:

• If you’re trying to avoid turning on the oven (it’ll only take 10 minutes, I swear!), you could cook the salmon over the grill.

• You could easily swap salmon for arctic char or trout filets—just make sure to adjust the timing to reflect a thinner filet.

• If you don’t have pistachios, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or even slivered almonds would all be lovely here. Or, just leave them out.

• Harissa paste can be used in place of Calabrian chile paste.

I’ll leave you with some of my favorite moments of summer from the last week. Have a great weekend!

Serves 4

Ingredients

Zucchini Salad

• 4 medium zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthwise to create ribbons

• Zest and juice of 2 lemons (about ¼ cup)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• ½ cup raw pistachios, roughly chopped

• ½ cup basil leaves, roughly torn

Salmon

• Four (6-ounce) center-cut, skin-on salmon filets

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon Calabrian chile paste

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt kosher salt

Directions

1. Make the zucchini salad: Add the sliced zucchini to a bowl along with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and garlic and gently toss to combine.

2. Make the salmon: Preheat the broiler to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.

3. Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel on both sides and place on the prepared baking sheet.

4. Add the butter, chile paste, honey, and salt to a small bowl and stir to combine. Divide the butter between the salmon filets and rub evenly to coat.

5. Broil the salmon until easily flaked with a fork with a pink exterior, about 5 to 9 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon. For salmon ½-inch, you can assume it’ll take between 5 to 6 minutes. For thicker filets, add more time. If you feel wary of the broiler (no pressure!) you can instead bake the salmon at 425˚F for 12 to 15 minutes.

6. Add the pistachios and basil to the zucchini and toss once to combine. Serve the salmon with a side of the zucchini salad.

Calabrian Chile Butter Salmon With Shaved Zucchini Salad

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