This Salmon Meuniere, which is a twist on the simple French dish sole meuniere, is great, so it looks like an old recipe can be updated.
Getting some salmon fillets on your way home from work today, putting on your favorite frilly apron (yes, men too), and getting ready to amaze yourself with your cooking skills.
When you add a French word or phrase to almost anything, it instantly makes it feel more stylish. This hearty salmon is no exception.
This word, pronounced “muhn-yair,” really only refers to the process of making the fish, which is basically a flour dredge, a quick sauté in butter, and a touch of lemon and parsley. It’s truly easy.
In fact, the word “meuniere” itself means “Miller’s Wife,” a nod to the rustic simplicity of the dish.
But why on earth would we call this “Miller’s Wife’s Salmon” when we can call it salmon meuniere?
Traditional meuniere-style fish is prepared with sole, a light and flaky white fish. I make some version of this Baked Salmon in Foil almost every week because we love our healthy salmon recipes. I wanted to see if I could use the meuniere method for salmon instead. SO YUMMY.
The taste was similar to this Lemon Pepper Salmon, but the lemon butter meuniere sauce made it even better. To keep this salmon recipe pretty healthy, I cut back on the butter, which is very un-French of me. While a few true French chefs might object, we still found the recipe plenty rich and satisfying.
With style, flip your hair back and raise your spatulas. Then, tell your kids, pet, significant other, or yourself that you are about to make a delicious fish a la meuniere. I can already feel my respect in the kitchen growing, can’t you?.
You can make salmon meuniere at home, even though it looks like a difficult dish. You can make a fancy meal that looks and tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant with just a few simple ingredients, like salmon, butter, lemon, and parsley.
In this detailed guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know to make perfect salmon meuniere, from choosing the right salmon and equipment to cooking techniques and serving suggestions With a little practice, you’ll be able to whip up this buttery, lemony salmon dish any night of the week.
What is Salmon Meuniere?
Salmon meuniere is a preparation in French cuisine where salmon fillets are dredged in flour pan-fried in butter and finished with a brown lemon butter sauce. The sauce is made right in the pan drippings, so it comes together in a snap.
The name “meuniere” roughly translates to “miller’s wife” style, referring to the rustic simplicity of the preparation. It was traditionally made with sole, but works beautifully with salmon’s rich flavor
While sole meuniere uses copious amounts of butter, this lighter salmon version uses just enough to provide flavor without overdoing it. The result is a healthy yet utterly craveworthy salmon meal.
Benefits of Cooking Salmon Meuniere
There are lots of great reasons to make salmon meuniere for dinner every night:
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It’s fast – the entire dish comes together in just 15-20 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights.
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It’s fancy enough for company, but easy enough for a casual family dinner.
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Cooking at home is cheaper than dining out. Salmon fillets, fresh lemons, parsley, flour and butter are very budget-friendly ingredients.
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Salmon provides excellent nutrition. It’s packed with protein, omega-3s, vitamins and minerals.
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Meuniere style keeps the salmon moist, flaky and infused with flavor. Much better than plain old pan-fried salmon.
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The brown butter sauce gives a rich, decadent flavor without too much added fat and calories.
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It’s a nice change of pace from basic roasted, baked or grilled salmon.
Tips for Making Perfect Salmon Meuniere
Follow these tips and you’ll be guaranteed rave reviews:
1. Choose Wild-Caught Salmon Fillets
When buying salmon, opt for fresh wild-caught fillets without skin. Farm-raised salmon tends to be fattier and can turn soggy when cooked.
Look for 4-6 oz portions. Uniform sizing will help the fish cook evenly.
2. Pat the Salmon Dry
Be sure to pat the salmon fillets very dry with paper towels before cooking. Any excess moisture will cause splattering during pan-frying.
3. Use Clarified Butter or Brown Butter
Clarified butter has the milk solids removed, so it can withstand higher heat without burning. Brown butter is cooked until the milk solids turn brown, providing delicious nutty flavor.
Both types of butter provide better results than regular unclarified butter when pan-frying the salmon.
4. Make Sure the Butter is Hot Before Adding Salmon
Heat the butter over medium heat until hot and shimmering before carefully adding the salmon. This prevents the fish from sticking.
5. Resist the Urge to Move the Salmon After Adding to the Pan
Let the salmon cook undisturbed until golden brown before attempting to flip it. Moving it too soon could cause it to break apart.
6. Use a Sturdy Skillet
Choose a heavy stainless steel or cast iron skillet to provide even heat distribution and prevent hot spots while cooking.
7. Finish Cooking in the Oven
Pan-sear the salmon on the stove, then transfer to a 450°F oven to finish cooking through. This prevents overcooking.
8. Let It Rest Before Serving
After baking, let the salmon rest at least 5 minutes wrapped in foil. This allows the juices to redistribute evenly.
9. Serve it Hot
Salmon meuniere really needs to be served hot right after cooking for the best texture and flavor. Leftovers can be refrigerated but don’t reheat as well.
Step-By-Step Guide to Cooking Salmon Meuniere
Follow these simple steps for foolproof salmon meuniere every time:
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), patted dry
- 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1⁄2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
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Set the oven rack to middle position and preheat to 450°F.
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Make the flour dredging station. In a shallow dish, combine flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper.
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Pat salmon fillets dry and season with remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Dredge fillets in flour mixture, coating both sides. Shake off any excess.
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Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl to coat pan.
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Cook salmon fillets skin-side down for 3 minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Salmon should be just undercooked in center.
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Transfer skillet to oven and bake salmon 3-4 minutes until opaque and flaky.
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Make pan sauce. Remove skillet from oven. Add remaining 1 Tbsp butter and juice of 1⁄2 lemon to hot pan, swirling to melt butter.
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Rest salmon. Transfer fish to plates. Cover with foil and let rest 5 minutes.
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Finish and serve. Spoon pan sauce over plated salmon. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
And that’s it – restaurant-worthy salmon meuniere made easy at home. The pan sauce comes together in minutes while the fish cooks.
How to Choose the Best Salmon for Meuniere
Salmon meuniere highlights the flavor of quality salmon. Choosing the right type of salmon makes all the difference.
Here are the best options for salmon meuniere:
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Wild-caught – Better flavor and texture than farmed salmon. Opt for Pacific (Alaskan), Atlantic or Sockeye.
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Skinless Fillets – Skin becomes rubbery when pan-fried. Ask the fish counter to remove or do it yourself.
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Center-Cut – The most uniform in thickness to prevent uneven cooking.
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Fresh – Bright color, shiny, moist surface, no dull or dried areas. Refrigerate promptly.
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Portioned – 4-6 oz portions cook most evenly. Buy individually portioned fillets.
While fresh is best, frozen salmon works too. Defrost overnight in the fridge before cooking.
No matter what type you choose, always pat the salmon very dry before dredging and frying.
Salmon Meuniere Sauce Explained
The sauce is what sets salmon meuniere apart from plain pan-fried salmon. Here’s how it comes together:
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Fond – The browned bits stuck to the pan after searing the dredged salmon are full of flavor.
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Butter – Swirling in chunks of cold butter enriches the sauce and gives it a velvety texture.
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Lemon – Fresh lemon juice provides bright acidity to balance the richness of the butter.
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Parsley – Chopped fresh parsley adds freshness and color to the sauce.
The starch from the flour coating on the salmon and the salmon’s natural juices also help thicken the sauce so it nicely clings to the fish.
When spooned over the hot rested salmon, the sauce provides a decadent finishing touch.
Serving Suggestions for Salmon Meuniere
Salmon meuniere is delicious as is, but you can round out the meal with:
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Rice – Steamed white or brown rice
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Pasta – Buttered noodles, pasta tossed with olive oil/garlic
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Potatoes – Mashed, roasted, pan-fried potatoes
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Vegetables – Sauteed spinach, asparagus, green beans
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Salad – Mixed greens, caesar salad
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Bread – Crusty french bread, dinner rolls
For special occasions, try these upscale additions:
- Lemon risotto
- Asparagus with hollandaise sauce
- Pommes paillasson (crispy potato cakes)
A crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Chablis is a classic beverage pairing.
Recipe Variations for Salmon Meuniere
Once you master the classic preparation, try these delicious variations:
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Use lemon-parsley compound butter instead of plain butter
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Add capers, diced shallots or
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How to Make Salmon Meuniere
This recipe refers to the classic French meuniere cooking method, which is traditionally used for sole. The fish is floured, then pan fried in butter, and finished with lemon and parsley. The sauce forms right in the pan, making the recipe ultra easy, and the flavor payoff is superb. (For a similar flavor profile without the flour, try my easy Pan Seared Salmon or Pan Fried Cod. ).
Before making this recipe, I quickly searched Google to see if salmon meuniere had already been made. I’ve learned that I’m not usually the first person to think of a recipe idea. Not because it had shocked me, but because most of them talked about a strange dish called “salmon meuniere botw.” ”.
The first thing I did was Google “botw.” I learned that it stands for “Breath of the Wild” (more Googling). “Botw” is a part of the 19th installment of the Legend of Zelda series on Wii/Nintendo Switch. That’s it! Now you don’t have to look any further for a hearty salmon dish to go with your game night!
Or, if you don’t care about Zelda at all and just want to make a delicious salmon recipe for tonight’s dinner, I got you covered too.
Could someone let me know if this Zelda thing is common knowledge? We didn’t have Nintendo when I was a kid, and now I’m wondering what other important cultural references I may be missing. }.
OK, back to the recipe!
- Salmon. Salmon is tasty and full of good things for you, like Omega-3 fatty acids and protein. These may help lower inflammation, blood pressure, and your risk of getting some diseases. What a great deal! When you buy salmon, look for six-ounce pieces that are fresh or frozen and wild-caught. Farm-raised salmon is usually more fatty, and it can get soggy when cooked because it gives off too much water, so I suggest staying away from it. For this recipe, the skin needs to be taken off. If it isn’t already done, ask the person behind the seafood counter to do it.
- Butter. The French way! I like to spend a little more on high-quality European-style butter, which has a little more fat. This recipe only calls for a small amount of butter compared to other sole meuniere recipes, but it still tastes great.
- Lemon. It’s citrusy, light, and goes well with any fish, even salmon.
- Parsley. It makes the sauce more interesting and helps cut through the richness of the salmon and butter.
- All-Purpose Flour. A quick dredge on both sides gives the salmon a nice crust and helps the sauce get thick;
- Capers. Even though they aren’t usually used in meuniere fish, I love the salty, zingy, briny pop they give. Pick a favorite by trying a bite with and a bite without.
- Put the flour, salt, and pepper on a large, shallow plate (like a pie dish). Remove the fillets from the water and add more salt to the top.
- Melt your butter in a large oven-safe skillet. Turn the pan around a few times to make the butter brown. This will create irresistible flavor!.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, and coat both sides of the fillets with the flour mixture. Shake off any extra flour.
- Gently lay your fillets in the melted butter, top-side down. Cook undisturbed until golden brown. When the sides of the salmon start to get cloudy and the top starts to get cloudy, flip it over.
- Add the lemon juice and zest to the pan and then put it in the oven. Take the pan out of the oven after 6 minutes, cover it with foil, and let it rest. (Your salmon will continue to cook while it rests. ).
- Place each fillet on a plate and pour the sauce from the pan over it when you’re ready to serve. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and capers, then enjoy immediately. Don’t forget to enjoy your tasty culinary success for a moment!
Finishing the fish in the oven isn’t usually part of meuniere-style fish recipes, but I thought that searing the salmon on the stove and then finishing it in the oven worked really well together. Because salmon is thicker than the more delicate fish that is usually used, like sole, the oven helps give it great texture and makes sure it’s cooked just right.
What to Serve with Salmon Meuniere
- Roasted Vegetables. Roasted broccoli, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts would go well with this dish because they are fresh and tasty.
- Rice or Pasta. All of the tasty sauce from the pan will soak up a bed of lemon rice or pasta. (This Salmon Pasta is another yummy salmon and pasta dish. ).
- Sautéed Vegetables. You could serve the salmon with simple vegetable sides like sautéed cabbage and zucchini.
Or pour yourself a refreshing French-inspired St.Germain Cocktail, and call it complete.
How to Make Salmon Meuniere! Recital at Warbler’s Nest BotW
FAQ
How do you make salmon meunière in Zelda?
How do I make salmon meuniere Genli?
What does it mean when a food is prepared à la meunière?