Salmon with Lime Butter

BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE

Remember how I promised to post something that was NOT chocolate or bread this week. Well, I almost broke that promise because I am a dirty liar. And because I made this little beauty of a cake for a reading I participated in. It wasn't even expensive.

But then I remembered that I am an individual of strong moral character who does not only eat chocolate. In fact, I don't usually eat chocolate cake. (It's just that when I do, it's very good chocolate cake and I always want to share it with you.)

Anyway, I was this close to breaking my promise and becoming a person of low moral character (the horror!).

But then I remembered this salmon with lime butter. It is so beautiful, so decadent-without-breaking-the-bank. And I thought that maybe, maybe you could also still love me if I posted this amazing salmon instead of another chocolate recipe. Try the salmon, and I think you will.

The great thing about salmon is that it's almost indisputably healthy. Low-carbers, low-cal-ers. Natural foodists. A lot of people can get behind it.

It is not the cheapest meat on the market, but I can quite regularly find wild-caught salmon between $4-6/pound. Anymore, that's not so much more than plain, old ground beef.

And if I still haven't convinced you, let me say this: You can get this fish, plus rice, plus roasted broccoli on the table in 20 minutes. And for such a meal that you would drop a good amount of change for at a restaurant (as in close to $100 for 4 people), you will pay a mere $7.00 to feed your family of four ($5--salmon, $.50--2 cups rice, $1.50--1 pound broccoli. I just googled the Walmart prices at grocery.walmart.com so I'm not even making this up). That's $1.75/person.

Salmon with Lime Butter
Adapted from 365 Ways to Cook Chicken
Serves 4
Prep and cook time: 15 minutes
Cost: $5.00
(salmon: 4.00, butter: .50, lime: .50)

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 salmon fillets
6 Tbsp butter
juice from one lime (about 2 Tbsp)
zest if desired
dill and chives for garnish

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add fillets and cook about 4 minutes on each side. When fish is cooked through and can be easily flaked with a fork, take it off the heat.

Remove the salmon to a plate and keep warm (I usually just put another plate over top of it.) Wipe out pan. (This is necessary. If you leave the drippings from the oil, the butter-lime concoction will separate.) Allow the pan to cool for a minute. If you don't do this as soon as you add the lime juice it will bubble up and evaporate.

Return your pan to the burner on low heat. Add the lime juice. When it begins to bubble, stir in the butter (and zest if using). Raise the heat a bit and stir until the butter runs clear (or nearly so). This takes a couple of minutes. Remove it from the heat. If you let it get much hotter, the butter will separate.

Pour it over the salmon. Garnish with chives and dill and serve.

PRINTABLE RECIPE