Name: Seared Salmon with Raisin and Caper Butter
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 1/4 cup raisins; 1 stick Irish butter such as Kerrygold, softened*; 1/3 cup capers; Grated zest of 1 lemon; 1 tablespoon chopped chives; 8 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, preferably wild; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; *Available at specialty foods shops. If unavailable, substitute regular unsalted butter and add 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from chef Paul Flynn of The Tannery in Dungarvan, Ireland.

Wild salmon, once so plentiful in Ireland that domestic servants could stipulate in their contracts that they should not have to eat it more than three times per week, has now become a luxury item on both sides of the Atlantic. However, when top-notch fish is available, this simple preparation is a great way to showcase it. The compound butter, with its use of raisins, harks back to the dried fruits popular in the Middle Ages, and the capers show the fondness of contemporary Irish cooks for Mediterranean flavors. Irish butter, with its high fat content, will add a particularly rich flavor, but regular American butter can be substituted.

Recipe notes

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