Wild Caught Salmon with Za’atar Butter

With the heat this summer I’ve been hesitant to turn on my oven for any reason at all, and so we’ve been eating a lot of salads recently (you might have noticed), hummus, mutabbal, and so on. I grew up near the sea, though – and despite living an eighteen (yes, eighteen, I know – this pains me) hour drive from any ocean I am obsessed with seafood. I was craving fish, and when I saw these salmon fillets at the store I figured only having my oven on for 15 minutes or so was perfectly acceptable in exchange for flaky, rich salmon for dinner.

This dish is very simple and quick to prepare (perfect for when you don’t want your oven on for long, heating your house) and is also wonderful grilled if you have access to one (we don’t, currently). I served it on a plate covered in a lemony orzo salad with summer squash, preserved lemon, and mint. The bright, lemony salad is the perfect compliment to the richness of the fish and butter. Za’atar is pretty essential to this dish, and you can find it at most spice retailers these days, but also online. You’ll want to cook your salmon for fifteen minutes or so (ours was quite thin) but if yours is thicker, you’ll want to go a little longer – 18 to 20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers a 120°F (49°C) internal temperature.

(The recipe for the orzo salad shown in the photograph is here.)