I recently picked up the two-volume set of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child. As I began to flip through the pages, I was stunned by how many recipes used unreal amounts of butter, like, damn! I still will one day make her sautéed pan chicken, which swims in butter. But this is not a recipe for swimsuit season, and come to think of it, if you want this one to be you must pour off the butter.

It is interesting to note that heart disease was hardly a problem around the turn of the century and by 1970 it had become the No. 1 killer; yet butter consumption had diminished. I wish I had more time to tell you why but it is a good Google search.

The origins of butter go back thousands of years to when our ancestors first started domesticating animals. In fact, the first written reference to butter was found on a 4,500-year-old limestone tablet illustrating how butter was made.

So here is the deal people, butter is better for you than margarine or any oil that had been transformed into a solid. Ghee, which is clarified butter, is even better. You can get it at Whole Foods in a little jar that my roommate refers to as kitchen crack. Spread some Ghee on your toast and taste something extraordinary, plus you can leave it on the counter and it stays good like the old days.

I used unsalted butter for this recipe which is delicious but does not reheat well the next day. So be sparing but use the real thing, saturated fats are not all the devil’s work. Have a good time in the kitchen my faithful readers!

Summer in the Northwest means the start of salmon season and, as a result, wild salmon is available pretty much everywhere. So when my friend mentioned to me that I didn’t have enough fish recipes on my blog, I figured now was the perfect time to do some experimenting. For this recipe, I simply seasoned salmon fillets with salt and pepper and placed lemon slices on top before baking them in the oven. Once they were perfectly cooked, I topped them with a quick lemon caper butter.

I was very tempted to use the coveted Copper River Salmon for this recipe, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay $30 a pound so I decided to go with the Wild Alaskan King Salmon, which was a little less expensive but still has a wonderful, buttery flavor.

Kirk got the steelhead Salmon at Costco with 4 servings for $17.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.

Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. (Note: I don’t like the bones, so I remove them. Some use needle-nose pliers, I used my finger nails but it did take me a little while). Sprinkle fillets with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Place 2 lemon slices on top of each fillet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and tent with aluminum foil for 10 more minutes. Fish will continue to cook during this time. It will flake easily when done.

Remove lemon slices and discard. Gently slide a turner or serving spatula between the skin and the flesh of the fillet to remove the skin, it should separate very easily. Transfer fillet to a serving platter and spoon lemon caper butter over the top. Serve.

Lemon Caper Butter

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.

Once butter has melted, add garlic, capers, lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ryan took one bite of this salmon and said “This is really good! I didn’t know I liked salmon so much!” He then quickly devoured the rest of his portion and a little of mine. I hope you all enjoy it just as much! :)