A simple glaze of mustard and honey with a hint of dill is a delicious complement for salmon. Don't worry if you don't have dill seed, though; the dish is still good without it. Sprinkle a little chopped fresh dill over the finished dish instead, or just leave it out entirely. 

Ingredients

• 2 5- to 6-ounce salmon fillets, skinned
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dill seed
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed 
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dry white wine
• Vegetable oil

• Yield: 2 servings

Preparation

1. Sprinkle both sides of the salmon with salt and white pepper.

2. Turn the oven on broil and adjust the rack so that it's about 6 inches from the broiler element.

3. If you have a mortar and pestle, crush the dill and mustard seeds coarsely. You can also grind them in a spice grinder, but don't process them long -- they should be left in large chunks. If you don't have a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, you can crush them using a small cast iron skillet.

4. Mix the spices with the honey, mustard and white wine. Set aside about half of the sauce.

5. Heat a thick coating of oil in an oven-proof skillet large enough to hold both fillets without crowding. When the oil is shimmering, carefully place the fish in the skillet, presentation side down (see note). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish (2 minutes for 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick fillets; 3 minutes for 1-inch). Carefully turn the fish and brush generously with half the sauce.

6. Place the skillet in the oven and broil the fish for about 2 minutes, or until the glaze is set and just barely starting to brown. Remove and let rest for a minute. Serve with the reserved sauce.

Notes:

• In restaurant-speak, the "presentation" side of a fish fillet is the side without the skin. Even though the skin is removed for this recipe, the skin-side is never as nice looking as the other side.
• The combination stovetop/oven cooking method produces a nice golden brown crust on the salmon, but if you prefer you can cook the salmon completely in the oven, either under the broiler or baked.