Home-made butter just got better with this lemon twist! Give this easy lemon butter recipe a try.
- Serves4, Makes about 2/3 cups
- Cook time10 minutes
- Prep time5 minutes
Ingredients
- 65g chilled butter, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small French shallot, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup (60ml) salt-reduced vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
- 1 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
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Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.
Method
Step 1
Place 1 tsp (5g) of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, for 2 mins or until shallot softens.
Step 2
Add stock and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 mins or until the liquid reduces by half. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter until well combined. Stir in the parsley and season.
Recipe tip
Lemon butter sauce is best served with seafood. It could be served with grilled salmon or used as the sauce in a prawn linguine.
Lemon butter recipe
This easy lemon butter sauce is just so versatile. It pairs beautifully with salmon and other fish varieties such as barramundi, snapper and ocean trout. Drizzle it over a lobster tail or Balmain bug while entertaining on a warm summer’s night. Or swirl it through linguine with some grilled prawns and diced chilli (chilli flakes will work well too) for a sensational pasta dish.
It’s quick to make and packed full of flavour, the lemon adding a vibrant citrus tang to the rich garlicky butter, with some stock added to loosen it all and temper the flavours.
If you’re a seafood lover, it’s definitely one for the repertoire! Save a little to pour over steamed or grilled asparagus, too. Or keep it simple as a lemon butter sauce for salmon – it’s bound to become a household favourite.
Creamy lemon butter sauce: the perfect accompaniment
Lemon and seafood – it’s a culinary pairing as ubiquitous as parmesan on pasta, and for good reason: it’s delicious! This sauce takes that drizzle of lemon juice to the next level.
It’s a variation of the classic French sauce beurre blanc, swapping the white wine and vinegar for stock, and adding garlic. It’s quick enough to make while the fish is cooking. Or make it first and keep it warm so the butter doesn’t solidify. Once you’re confident with it, consider adding mustard to the mix or changing up the herbs. It’s a great recipe to use as a base for experimentation.
When making this garlic lemon butter sauce, salmon is a great choice. Choose the cooking style that suits, from grilled to pan-fried to oven-baked. This sauce suits them all!
How to serve salmon with lemon butter sauce
This sauce is versatile not just in terms of the types of seafood it can be served with, but also the accompaniments that pair with these, making it a sauce that can be used year-round.
Having a barbecue? Serve a jug of lemon butter sauce alongside some butterflied prawns or salmon fillets with a crisp green salad and boiled baby potatoes on the side.
The weather taking a chilly turn? Pop baked salmon with lemon butter sauce on the midweek dinner menu and serve with steamed green beans and mashed potatoes. You’ll be swiping that mash through the sauce too!
Now get cooking
Salmon or pasta for dinner? This sauce will suit both, and more.
Keen to try herb crusted salmon with lemon butter sauce? Use this lemon and herb crusted salmon as inspiration. For some extra zing, try this snapper with a lemon butter caper sauce, and for those lemon butter flavours, tray-bake style, here’s a barramundi dish for the winter meal planner. For barbecue season, this lobster and salmon with horseradish butter is a real showstopper, also showcasing that delicious combination of seafood and lemon.
For a completely different flavour-profile, check out Curtis Stone’s spiced salmon with yoghurt-herb sauce - it’s another tray-bake great for a midweek dinner. Or his salmon salad with sesame-miso dressing. More of his delicious recipes can be found in the Coles salmon recipe collection.
