Wild Salmon + Fried Sage Gremolata made by Melina Hammer

<p>On <i>Play Me a Recipe, </i>your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://food52.com/recipes/87945-salmon-with-gremolata-and-fried-sage-recipe"><strong>Recipe</strong></a><br />Serves 2<br /> </p><p><i>Gremolata</i></p><ul><li>Finely grated zest from 3 lemons</li><li>Zest strips from 1 Meyer lemon, any bitter white pith removed, sliced very thinly</li><li>1 tablespoon finely sliced garlic scapes or garlic chives, or 1 teaspoon minced garlic</li><li>1 teaspoon finely sliced garlic chives</li><li>Sea salt</li><li>Freshly ground black pepper</li></ul><p><i>Salmon</i></p><ul><li>1 Pound wild sockeye salmon, portioned into 2 fillets</li><li>Sea salt</li><li>Freshly ground black pepper</li><li>1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil</li><li>1 tablespoon salted butter</li><li>1 Meyer lemon, cut in half horizontally</li></ul><p><i>Sage</i></p><ul><li>2 tablespoons walnut oil</li><li>1 handful fresh sage leaves</li></ul><p>Make the gremolata</p><ol><li>In a small bowl, toss together the lemon zest and strips, the garlic scapes and chives, and season with salt and pepper.</li></ol><p>Make the salmon and sage</p><ol><li>Pat the salmon dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Let sit at room temperature while you fry the sage.</li><li>Pour 2 tablespoons walnut oil into a heavy sauté pan set over medium heat and heat until shimmering. Pan-fry the sage leaves—they should sizzle on contact. Cook no more than 3 minutes, turning once. They will turn a vivid green through the process. Tap excess oil from each leaf as you remove them from the pan, then place onto absorbent paper, set on a wire rack.</li><li>Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and when it shimmers, place the salmon skin side down. Sear for 3 minutes, or until the flesh becomes opaque around the edges.</li><li>Turn the fil