old bay salmon with lemony mashed peas

Salmon

Old Bay Salmon with Lemony Mashed Peas

Cooking butter until it browns adds a toasty, nutty flavor to this easy skillet salmon recipe. Here it gives Old Bay-rubbed salmon a chef-worthy finish—not bad for 20 minutes!

Ingredients

1 pound peas, fresh or frozen
¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
½ teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¼ pounds skin-on salmon, cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
lemon wedges for serving

Directions

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add peas and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the water, then drain. Combine the peas, the reserved water, crème fraîche (or sour cream), lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Spread onto a serving platter.
Heat oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with Old Bay and add to the pan, skin-side up. Cook, flipping once, until it is browned and flakes with a fork, 6 to 7 minutes total.
Arrange the salmon on top of the peas. Add butter and thyme to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the butter is brown and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drizzle over the salmon. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.