Red Meat Allergy Friendly Pan-Seared Salmon with Brown Butter and Capers

Total time25 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time15 min

Red Meat Allergy Friendly Pan-Seared Salmon with Brown Butter and Capers

Salmon is one of those proteins that feels genuinely luxurious on a weeknight, and this pan-seared version delivers a restaurant-quality result with a surprisingly short ingredient list. The skin gets pressed flat against a screaming-hot skillet until it turns deep golden and shatteringly crisp, while the flesh stays silky and just cooked through — a combination that's hard to beat. Since the whole dish is built around fish, fresh herbs, capers, and butter, it's naturally free from beef, lamb, pork, and any other red meat without requiring any substitutions or workarounds. The brown butter sauce is where things really shine: milk solids toasted to a nutty, deep golden color, then pulled off the heat and hit with briny capers and bright lemon juice for a sauce that tastes far more complex than the few minutes it takes to make. A handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley stirred in at the end keeps everything feeling fresh and vibrant. Serve it straight from the pan with extra lemon wedges and something simple on the side, and dinner is done before anyone has time to complain they're hungry.

About Fig

Fig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.

Learn more →

Ingredients

4 servings

4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), skin-on, pin bones removed
Aqua Star Salmon Pacific Wild Fillet Frozen - 1.25 Lb Trader Joe's Farm Raised Atlantic Salmon Fillets ALDI Fresh Atlantic Salmon Portion Blue Circle Norwegian Arctic Atlantic Salmon Trident Seafoods Wild Alaska Sockeye Salmon Fillet Portions
See all
1 tbsp avocado oil
¾ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground

For the brown butter sauce

4 tbsp grass-fed unsalted butter
2 tbsp capers, drained
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

For serving

lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1
Pat the salmon fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels, then season both sides with the kosher salt and black pepper.
2
Heat the avocado oil in a 12-inch stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and just begins to smoke. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down and press each fillet gently with a fish spatula for the first 30 seconds to prevent curling. Cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and crisp and the flesh has turned opaque about two-thirds of the way up the sides.

Want the full recipe?

Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!