From How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food, by Mark Bittman.

If you make this with the most flavorful, beautiful fillet you can find - such as Alaskan sockeye in season, or a lovely side of farm-raised salmon - you will be amazed by the richness of flavor.

Ingredients

Makes 4 to 8 servings; time: 15 minutes

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

  • 1 two-to three-pound salmon fillet, skin on (but scaled) or off, pin bones removed

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Melt the butter in a medium roasting pan - either on top of the stove or in the oven as it preheats - until the foam subsides.

2. Place the salmon in the butter, flesh side down, and put the pan in the oven. Roast about 5 minutes, then turn and roast 3 to 6 minutes longer, until the salmon is done (peek between the flakes with a thin-bladed knife). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, garnish, and serve immediately.

Removing Pin Bones: Fillets of many fish, no matter how skillfully removed, may contain long bones along their center which must be removed by hand. Feel with your fingers to see if your fillet contains pin bones. Remove them with a needle-nose pliers or similar tool.