Salmon, butter, and marjoram

One of the thing that simultaneously frustrates and thrills me about Mark Bittman's recipes is that they're often written in a casual, off the cuff style, listing dozens of options for substitutions and tweaks. When I was learning how to cook for serious a couple of years ago, and full of self doubt, that kind of thing drove me crazy: how much IS a "knob" of butter? What's a palmful? How big is my hand? Where am I? And what happened to my pants? Ok, kidding about the last part, but now that I'm more comfortable in the kitchen I too can be obnoxiously casual about things like substitutions! Check out the end notes on the Salmon Roasted in Butter from Bitten.


Salmon, fat, herbs: how can you go wrong? It would be awfully difficult, I think. And this recipe is gosh darn simple: heat the oven, put butter and herbs in a baking dish in the oven. A few minutes later, add the salmon, a few minutes after that, flip it, skin it, season it. Easy as pie. Way easier, actually, and the salmon was incredibly moist... butter will do that. Plus, I got to use more marjoram, huzzah! Served with broccoli rabe and beans (which makes a fine dinner on its own, as well as being a great side), this made a nice little weeknight meal for two with plenty of leftovers. I'm already looking forward to lunch.
Salmon Roasted in Butter
adapted from Mark Bittman

4 T butter
2 T marjoram leaves, chopped finely
1-2 lbs salmon filet (I had two under-a-pound filets)
salt and pepper
lemon wedges
Heat the oven to 475F. Add the butter and half the marjoram to the pan, and put the pan in the oven for 3 minutes or until the butter is melty and starting to bubble a little. Add the salmon, skin up, and roast for 4 minutes.
Remove from the oven and carefully peel the skin off. Season with salt and pepper, then flip the filets and season again with salt and pepper. Roast another 4 minutes. Cut into portions and serve with a squeeze of lemon and some butter from the pan, sprinkled with the other half of the herbs.
Serves 4 (generously)