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This recipe elevates delicious pan-seared salmon with a couple of simple touches. For perfect succulence, we’re lightly basting the fillets with butter, then finishing them with a splash of lemon juice. The result is an ideal match for our warm salad of chewy barley, tender zucchini and sweet, fresh dill—which also makes for a beautifully feathery garnish.

Ethan Mick

with Creamy Barley & Zucchini Salad

Lemon-Butter Salmon

Skin-On Salmon Fillets

Pearled Barley

Spinach

Zucchini

Lemon

Dill

Butter

Sour Cream

Ingredients

[Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high.](#) [​Once boiling, add the **barley** and cook 25 to 27 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot.](#)

Cook the barley:

While the barley cooks, wash and dry the fresh produce. [Using a peeler, remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester).](#) [Quarter and deseed the lemon.](#) [​Medium dice the zucchini.](#) Pick the dill leaves off the stems; discard the stems.

Prepare the ingredients:

While the barley continues to cook, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the **spinach** and **lemon** **zest**; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted. Transfer to a strainer; hold or rest the strainer over a bowl. Using a spoon, press down on the cooked spinach to release as much liquid as possible; discard the liquid. Transfer the drained spinach to a cutting board and finely chop. Wipe out the pan.

Cook & drain the spinach:

While the barley continues to cook, in the pan used to cook the spinach, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the **zucchini**; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly softened. Transfer to a bowl. Wipe out the pan.

Cook the zucchini:

While the barley continues to cook, pat the **salmon** **fillets** dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. In the pan used to cook the zucchini, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned fillets, skin sides down; cook 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, or until browned. Flip and add the **butter**; cook, occasionally spooning the butter over the fillets, 2 to 4 minutes, or until cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat. Stir in **the juice of 2 lemon wedges**; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the salmon:

While the salmon cooks, to the pot of **cooked barley**, add the **sour cream**, **chopped spinach**, **cooked zucchini**, **half the dill** and **the juice of the remaining lemon wedges**. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to thoroughly combine; [season with salt and pepper to taste.](#) Divide the finished salad between 2 dishes. Top with the **cooked salmon fillets** and a few spoonfuls of the **lemon-butter mixture** from the pan. Garnish with the **remaining dill**. Enjoy!