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A close-up of a seared salmon fillet with crispy skin, served on a creamy white sauce and drizzled with green oil, presented on a white plate.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Beurre Blanc

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Pan-seared salmon with ultra-crispy skin, topped with a velvety beurre blanc sauce made from crème fraîche, white wine, and cold butter.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Californian, French
Calories: 752
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the salmon
  • 2 salmon filets 4–6 oz each, skin-on
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Olive oil for searing
For the beurre blanc
  • 2 tablespoon white wine
  • 1 tablespoon shallot minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup crème fraîche
  • 1 stick butter cold, cubed
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chive oil or dill oil, cold

Equipment

  • Stainless steel or nonstick skillet
  • Saucepan
  • Whisk

Method
 

Make the Beurre Blanc
  1. In a small saucepan, combine shallot, bay leaf, and white wine. Simmer over medium heat until almost fully reduced.
  2. Add crème fraîche and reduce by half, about 3–4 minutes.
  3. Whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time until half the butter is incorporated. Remove from heat.
  4. Off the heat, add remaining cold butter all at once and whisk vigorously to emulsify.
  5. Season with lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Keep warm, stirring occasionally. Take on and off low heat to maintain emulsion if needed.
Sear the Salmon
  1. Pat salmon filets dry with a paper towel and season with kosher salt.
  2. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
  3. Once hot, place salmon skin-side down. Press gently with your hand or a kitchen weight to ensure even skin contact.
  4. Sear for 4–5 minutes, until skin is deeply golden and crispy. Flip and cook for another 1–2 minutes until just done.
To Serve
  1. Just before serving, gently whisk chive oil into the beurre blanc to "break" the sauce.
  2. Plate the salmon skin-side up and spoon broken beurre blanc over the top or around the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 752kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 71gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 255mgSodium: 195mgPotassium: 1866mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 859IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 164mgIron: 3mg

Notes

Storage: the beurre blanc is a butter emulsion and can break if you try to reheat it hard, so this dish is best made and served the same day. If you have leftover salmon, reheat it skin-side down in a dry hot pan to bring some crispness back, not the microwave.

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