SEARED SPICED SALMON

SERVES 4

This is my go-to recipe for salmon, which is a staple in our household (even my kids like it). It’s a perfect simple main course, but I also will prepare salmon like this, let it cool, and use it to top a salad.

Though it’s more expensive, I prefer wild salmon to farmed. Not only is it a more sustainable choice, but I think it has better flavor. And remember, frozen seafood is great—most wild salmon is frozen on the boats when it’s caught, so it’s preserved at its peak.

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 skin-on salmon fillets (4 to 5 ounces each), preferably wild

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for serving

1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels, then sprinkle the seasoning mixture liberally on the flesh and skin side of each fillet.

In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. When the butter melts and stops foaming, add the salmon fillets, skin-side down. Cook without disturbing until the salmon skin lifts easily from the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the salmon and cook about 2 minutes on the other side, until the flesh flakes easily when poked with the tip of a knife. Before serving, finish with flaky sea salt and a squeeze of lemon.