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Crispy Salmon with Spiced Butter

Crispy skin salmon, served over garlic yoghurt and topped with spiced butter
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5 from 2 reviews

This dish is inspired by cilbir (Turkish poached eggs with yoghurt and spiced butter), but I’ve swapped the egg for crispy-skinned salmon. The salmon is pan-fried until the skin is shatteringly crisp, while the flesh stays juicy and tender. It’s served over garlicky Greek yoghurt and finished with a warm, smoky butter infused with pul biber. It’s simple, satisfying and comes together in under 20 minutes with just 5 ingredients (6 if you include the garnish). I love it with crusty bread and a zingy green salad for a cosy, indulgent lunch or dinner.

  • Author: zenak
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 200g thick Greek yoghurt
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 2 salmon fillets, skin on
  • neutral oil (like avocado, vegetable or sunflower)
  • 2 tbsp salted butter
  • 2 tsp pul biber aka aleppo pepper (see Notes for substitute)
  • small handful fresh dill, to garnish

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix the yoghurt, garlic and a good pinch of salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve–this gives the flavours time to meld.
  2. Pat the salmon fillets dry–moisture is the enemy of crispy skin! Optional: If you’ve got time, place them skin-side up on a plate in the fridge for about an hour, uncovered. This further dries out the skin and helps it crisp up even more in the pan.
  3. Season the flesh side generously with salt and pepper. You can also add extra seasoning if you like–smoked paprika, garlic granules, ground cumin or za’atar all work well–but I like to keep it simple when using good-quality fish. Pat the skin dry again just before cooking and season it with salt only.
  4. If using a stainless steel pan:
  5. Heat the pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Flick in a few drops of water–if they sizzle and evaporate immediately, it’s not hot enough. If they bead and glide across the pan, you’re good to go.
  6. Add a thin layer of oil and heat until it shimmers. Pat the salmon skin dry one final time, then lay the fillets in skin-side down. Press each down firmly with a spatula for the first 15 seconds to stop the skin from curling.
  7. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, pressing gently every so often to maintain skin contact with the pan. The skin should release easily–if it sticks, let it cook a bit longer.
  8. Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on the other side until just cooked through. Transfer to a kitchen towel-lined plate.
  9. If using a non-stick pan:
  10. Heat a splash of oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the salmon skin-side down and press gently for the first 15 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for around 7 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked three-quarters of the way up the sides and the skin is crispy. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
  11. Pour out the oil from the pan, then return it to the heat and add the butter. Once melted and bubbling, stir in the pul biber and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat.
  12. To serve, spoon the garlicky yoghurt onto plates, top with the salmon and drizzle generously with the spiced butter. Finish with fresh dill and serve.

Notes

If you can’t find pul biber, use half the amount of regular chilli flakes and add a pinch of smoked paprika to bring a similar warmth and smokiness.

Find it online: https://zenaskitchen.com/crispy-salmon-with-spiced-butter/

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