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Lemon Brown Butter

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on December 30, 2010

Time

25 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes about 1/4 cup)

Lemon Brown Butter

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 piece1 small shallot, minced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves ½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Heat butter in small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter turns dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in parsley, thyme, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
Lemon Brown Butter

Lemon Brown Butter

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

25 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes about 1/4 cup)

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 piece
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 piece
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 piece
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

Why This Recipe Works

To devise a pan-seared scallop recipe with a great crust, we seared the scallops in oil, then basted them in butter. Waiting to add the butter ensured that it had enough time to work its browning magic on the scallops, but not enough time to burn. When using scallops treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (a common preservative), we eliminated the chemical flavor in our seared scallop recipe by briefly brining the shellfish in a solution of water, lemon juice, and salt.

Instructions

  1. Heat butter in small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter turns dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in parsley, thyme, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

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