Pan-seared salmon with lemon‑herb butter and roasted courgette & aubergine ribbons

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional and line a baking tray with parchment or lightly oil it.

2. 2

   Use a vegetable peeler to shave the aubergine and courgette into long ribbons. Put the ribbons in a large bowl, add 15 ml olive oil, crushed garlic cloves, ground smoked paprika, a pinch of sea salt and a little black pepper; toss to coat and spread in a single layer on the prepared baking tray.

3. 3

   Roast the prepared ribbons in the oven until starting to caramelise and wilt, 18 minutes. Turn once halfway through for even browning.

4. 4

   Meanwhile, pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper, rub both sides with the remaining 15 ml olive oil and season evenly with sea salt and black pepper. Leave at room temperature to rest for 10 minutes.

5. 5

   Make the lemon‑herb butter: put the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat until just melted, then stir in half the lemon juice, half the chopped fresh parsley and all the chopped fresh dill. Keep warm off the heat.

6. 6

   Make the caper‑parsley salsa: finely chop the remaining fresh parsley, mix with capers, the remaining lemon zest and juice, 10 ml olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and red chilli flakes.

7. 7

   Heat a large heavy frying pan over medium‑high heat until very hot. Add a little olive oil and place the salmon fillets skin‑side down. Press each fillet with a spatula for 8–10 seconds to keep the skin flat, then cook skin‑side without moving for 5 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden.

8. 8

   Flip the fillets and cook the flesh side for 3 minutes for medium (adjust 1–2 minutes more for thicker fillets).

9. 9

   Remove the salmon to a warm board and rest for 3 minutes.

10. 10

    To serve, divide the roasted courgette and aubergine ribbons between plates, place a salmon fillet on top, spoon over the lemon‑herb butter and scatter the caper‑parsley salsa. Finish with a little extra black pepper if wanted and a small drizzle of olive oil.

Tips

• Pat the salmon completely dry and let it come to room temperature for 10 minutes — that makes the skin crisp rather than soggy.
• Use a vegetable peeler for even courgette and aubergine ribbons; thicker strips will take longer to roast.
• If your fillets are thicker than 2.5 cm, add 1–2 minutes to the flesh‑side cook time and rest for an extra minute.
• Make the caper‑parsley salsa ahead and keep chilled up to 24 hours; warm the lemon‑herb butter just before serving.
• Leftovers keep in an airtight container for 24 hours; reheat gently in a low oven (140°C fan/160°C conventional) to avoid drying the salmon.

Substitutions

• salmon fillets, skin on → sea bass fillets, skin on, same weight

  Stays close

• unsalted butter → 50 g olive oil for a dairy‑free version

  Noticeably different

• courgette → 200 g fennel, thinly sliced (roast until tender)

  Noticeably different

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

510

Calories

32 g

Protein

6 g

Carbs

40 g

Fat

4 g

Fibre

3 g

Sugar

520 mg

Sodium

FAQ