← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets, skin on (about 150 g each)
• salt and white pepper
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 Shallot, very finely chopped
• 100 ml dry white wine (Muscadet is traditional)
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp double cream (optional)
• 175 g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp Chives, snipped

Method

1. Put the shallots, wine and vinegar in a small pan and boil for 6–8 min until only about 2 tbsp of liquid is left. Add the cream if using (it makes the sauce more stable).
2. Turn the heat to its lowest setting. Whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time, adding more only when the last lot has melted into a creamy emulsion. Never let it boil. Season, strain if you like, and keep warm off the heat.
3. Pat the salmon dry and season it. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and cook the fillets skin-side down for 4–5 min, pressing gently, until the skin is crisp.
4. Flip and cook for 1–2 min more, until the centre is just opaque and flakes. Serve on the sauce with chives scattered over.

Tips

• If the sauce gets too hot and turns oily, whisk in an ice cube or a splash of cold cream off the heat.
• Keep the finished sauce in a warmed flask or a bowl over warm (not hot) water for up to 30 min.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Great British Chefs RecipeTin Eats BBC Good Food