Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the Salmon:
- Preheat your grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Place the seasoned salmon fillets onto the preheated grill pan skin side down.
- Brush the tops of the salmon fillets with the garlic butter mixture.
- Grill the salmon for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your desired doneness and nice grill marks form.
- While grilling, add a slice of lemon on top of each salmon fillet.
- Once the salmon is cooked through, remove it from the grill pan and transfer to a serving plate.
- Drizzle any remaining garlic butter over the grilled salmon fillets.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve hot with additional lemon slices on the side.
- Prepare the Lemon-Herb Couscous:
- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the couscous and toast, stirring frequently, until about half of the grains are golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the vegetable or chicken broth and salt to the saucepan. Stir to combine.
- Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and let stand, covered, for 3 minutes.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains.
- Drizzle the lemon juice over the fluffed couscous and gently toss to combine.
- Transfer the couscous to a serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley leaves or thinly sliced scallions.
- Enjoy your flavorful and juicy garlic butter salmon paired with zesty lemon-herb couscous!
- Lobster Bisque
Nutrition
Notes
Pro Tips:
Choose salmon fillets that are uniformly thick (about 1.5 inches) because thinner pieces will overcook by the time your garlic butter develops its nutty complexity, while thicker pieces won't cook through properly during the basting process. Start your couscous with a 1:1 ratio of liquid to grain, but add an extra tablespoon of broth per cup—I learned this after making this dish dozens of times and finding that the lemon juice slightly firms the grains, requiring more moisture for fluffiness. Pat your salmon completely dry and let it sit uncovered for 10 minutes before cooking because any surface moisture will cause the fish to steam rather than sear, preventing that golden crust that makes the garlic butter cling properly. Toast your couscous in the dry pan for 2-3 minutes before adding liquid—this technique from my abuela's rice preparation creates individual grains that won't clump and better absorb the lemon-herb flavors without becoming mushy.
Choose salmon fillets that are uniformly thick (about 1.5 inches) because thinner pieces will overcook by the time your garlic butter develops its nutty complexity, while thicker pieces won't cook through properly during the basting process. Start your couscous with a 1:1 ratio of liquid to grain, but add an extra tablespoon of broth per cup—I learned this after making this dish dozens of times and finding that the lemon juice slightly firms the grains, requiring more moisture for fluffiness. Pat your salmon completely dry and let it sit uncovered for 10 minutes before cooking because any surface moisture will cause the fish to steam rather than sear, preventing that golden crust that makes the garlic butter cling properly. Toast your couscous in the dry pan for 2-3 minutes before adding liquid—this technique from my abuela's rice preparation creates individual grains that won't clump and better absorb the lemon-herb flavors without becoming mushy.
