Baked Salmon with Parsley-Chive Butter

I guess I usually poach fish.  It's fast and doesn't involve the oven.  I felt like baking it today and dressed it up with herbed compound butter.  Neither part is difficult and looks elegant.

Compound butter is just butter with stuff kneaded into it, usually herbs.  Fancy restaurants charge a lot to make something very simple just because it's served with interesting butter.  And I do suggest using true butter and not margarine.  You get that lovely butter-solid foam as it melts on the fish.  Margarine will just look oily.

1-1/3 lb salmon fillet
1/4 C butter
*1 Tb chives
*2 Tb parsley
salt and pepper
olive oil

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Set butter at room temperature to soften.  Finely chop parsley and chives.

2.  Check salmon for pin bones and remove if necessary.  Place fillet skin-side down in a baking dish, preferably on a rack.  Rub with a bit of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until thickest part is barely opaque.  Time will vary with thickness of fillet.

3.  While the fish is baking, make the butter.  With a fork, break up the butter in a small bowl.  Work in herbs.  Add a touch of salt if the butter is unsalted.  Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until the fish is ready.  It melts best when it's only slightly firm, so you can see it actively melting when the dish is presented.

4.  Cut fillet into 4 pieces and serve hot, garnished with a tablespoon of the butter and more parsley.

Difficulty rating  π