Instructions: When you know how to prepare a good brown butter sauce, sauteed fish fillets rise above the ordinary into a more refined and elegant realm. Any fish would be honored to join it on a plate. The trick to making this sauce is allowing the butter to reach the perfect degree of golden brownness as it swirls in the pan over high heat. The wonderful, nutlike flavor and aroma that emerge at this precise point define the sauce - but be careful, since only a second or two separates brown from burnt butter.

Have the lemon juice, capers, salt, pepper and parsley ready and waiting so they can be added swiftly at just the right moment. The lemon juice halts the browning process, allowing a few seconds for you to finish the sauce.

This recipe, which is also very good made with halibut or swordfish, can easily be doubled or even tripled. Once youve made brown butter a few times, experiment with adding other flavorful ingredients such as pecans or almonds, fresh tarragon or chives, shallots or garlic, depending on the type of fish.

2 salmon fillets, skinned (7 to 8 ounces each)

Coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon small (nonpareil) capers, with brine 1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves

Rinse the salmon, then pat dry. If the fish still has a few bones, remove them with tweezers or your fingers if you can. Sprinkle the fish all over with salt and pepper.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the oil and, when its almost smoking, add the salmon and saute until lightly browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

How long you need to cook the fish depends on how thick it is and how done you like it. Figure 10 minutes per inch of thickness for any kind of fish. When its cooked to the desired doneness, transfer the fish carefully to individual serving plates and cover lightly with aluminum foil to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.

Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Place it back over medium-high to high heat and add the butter. Let the butter melt, swirling it as it foams up, then subsides. When it reaches a dark, nutty brown, a matter of mere seconds

(take care that it doesnt burn), immediately add the lemon juice, capers, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for a few seconds more, then add the parsley. When the parsley sizzles, remove the skillet from the heat, pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

David Waltuck and Melicia Phillips.

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