Salmon Meunière

Salmon Meunière is a hearty salmon recipe pan-seared for crispy skin! Served with a lemon butter and herb sauce.

Honestly, I don’t think you can ever have enough salmon recipes. I made this Salmon Meunière when we were stuck at home. I had salmon, and I had a ton of fresh parsley and lemon at home, so I searched for a preparation style that would use them both! 

What is Meunière style? 

Meunière is a french style of cooking that is typically reserved for fish. The fish (in this case, salmon) is lightly dredged in flour and pan fried. Then, it’s typically served with a simple sauce of browned butter, lemon and parsley or other fresh herbs. 

The word Meunière means “Miller’s Wife.” This style of cooking is thought to originate from  families that milled flour, since flour is used to coat the fish. 

You may also be wondering how to pronounce Meunière. My best approximation is “meh-nyur.” If you want to hear someone pronounce it, you can find that here.

Recipe Substitutions

All recipes and cooking methods evolve, and you can adapt this recipe to your taste! Here are a few ideas:

• Try other fish filets! Sole meunière is a classic dish.
• Experiment with other herbs. Rosemary or thyme are not traditional to this dish, but they would be delicious. 
• Add a few spoonfuls of capers to the sauce. 
• Lemon is the best citrus for this recipe, but in a pinch, lime would work too.
• To the butter sauce, add a splash of Worcestershire sauce, dry white wine or chicken stock for extra flavor.

And a fun fact- the addition of slivered almonds would turn this into Salmon Meunière Amandine or simply, Salmon Amandine. 

How to Make Salmon Meunière

Making Salmon Meunière is unbelievably easy, especially considering how elegant and delicious it is! 

• Lightly coat the flesh side of the salmon with salt, pepper and a dusting of flour.  
• Melt your fat of choice in a large skillet on high heat, and introduce the salmon, flesh/flour side down.
• Sear for 2-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the filet.
• Remove the salmon from the skillet and allow it to rest while you prepare the sauce. 
• To the skillet, add butter and allow to brown for about 1 minute over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits left from the salmon. Add fresh parsley and stir quickly. Add lemon juice and stir again, then remove from heat to prevent the sauce from burning.
• Serve your browned butter sauce over the top of the cooked salmon, garnished with additional lemon slices and/or fresh herbs. 
  

Serving Suggestions

For a beautiful, colorful dinner, pair this lemon salmon recipe with wild rice and roasted Brussels sprouts or sauteed green beans.

I hope that you love this simple salmon recipe! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below.

Need more salmon recipes? I think you’d enjoy:

• Easy Salmon Quiche with Spinach
• Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon
• Praline Glazed Salmon
• Jerk Salmon with Tropical Salsa
• Herb Crusted Salmon with Tomato Relish