My husband and I had a little debate the other night when we began to cook this. I thought we should put the top side of the salmon down first to get the color and then flip and cook it on the skin side. Hubby said skin side down first so that it crisps up and holds the fish together better. We ended up doing it his way , and it turned out just fine.
Before I posted this I wanted to know what most chefs said about which side to cook first. So, I went to the Food Network just to see what the consensus was over there. It was mixed. Some said skin down first, others advised just the opposite, and some just said sear on both sides; however, Emeril, who we think is very knowledgable, said skin down first. When I told my husband what Emeril advised, he came back with, "See, I'm not just another pretty face around here ."
This is more of a method than a recipe. Here's what we did:
2 salmon filets
olive oil
butter
lemon
capers
Drizzle olive oil in a skillet and heat to medium/high. I used a heavy, non-stick pan because I was afriad that it would stick and turn into a big mess . When the skillet is hot, add the salmon filets (skin side down ) and cook until you can see the fish begin to turn opaque. I like to let the line get at least to the center of the fish before I flip because I like mine opaque throughout. If you like it not so thoroughly cooked, flip earlier. The second side doesn't take long at all.
Remove the fish. Turn the skillet to low (or off for an electric), and add the butter, lemon, and capers to taste. I didn't put any seasoning on the fish before it was cooked, knowing that the capers would add enough salt for us.
Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with your choice of roasted vegetables.
It's fairly healthy, super easy, and we like it.