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Sundried Tomato Basil Finishing Butter

Sundried Tomato Basil Finishing Butter for steak or salmon is an elegant compound butter and beautiful way to present your glorious dish with amazing buttery savory flavor. Fresh basil, rich sundried tomato, aromatic garlic, and sweet cream butter combine to deliver the most gorgeous flavor worthy of your grilled steak or roasted salmon. Insanely easy to make, this recipe is perfect for beginners.

Rather than overpowering your steak or salmon with strong rubs or marinade, let these proteins sing with light seasoning, cooked to perfection, and this finishing butter with PACKED with sundried tomato, garlic, and basil. This compound butter can be made days in advance too, so you have no excuse not to try it!

plated salmon and salad on white plate; sliced sundried tomato basil finishing butter in front

Why you will love this recipe

There are 3 reasons why I adore – yes, adore – this little recipe. First, I keep all these ingredients on hand anyway. so there’s that.

Second, you just mash the ingredients together and refrigerate – this compound butter is that easy to make. Bowl, fork, knife, and plastic wrap – you don’t need anything else.

grilled steak on bake sheet topped with sun dried tomato butter
This NY strip was seasoned with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and Montreal seasoning, grilled on a Big Green Egg at 550°F for 2-1/2 minutes per side for medium-rare, then topped with finishing butter while resting 5 minutes.

And the biggest reason why this recipe gets so much love from me is because when put on a sizzling steak or freshly roasted salmon, the savory flavor combination of sundried tomato, garlic, and basil is INSANELY good.

When I take a bite of steak or salmon topped with this finishing butter, a total moment of umami zen happens for me. This is a perfect recipe.

close view of salmon topped with compound butter
This salmon was seasoned with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and Old Bay, baked skin-side down at 425°F for 8 minutes, and topped with finishing butter.

Simple ingredients

These are all super approachable, straightforward ingredients. Really easy stuff here.

  • Unsalted butter. You will also see unsalted butter called sweet cream butter. In any, all, and every recipe Ever, you want to use unsalted butter. But here, it is extra important.
  • Sundried tomatoes. We want sundried tomatoes in oil. The reason is because sundried tomatoes in oil are juicy, tender, and sweet. I buy large jars of julienne-cut sundried tomatoes from the produce section.
  • Fresh basil.
  • Kosher salt.
  • Garlic. Use fresh cloves and not garlic that comes in a jar.
sliced finishing butter on white dish

So, I say I keep all these ingredients on hand, but then I also call for fresh basil. I have to confess that for quite a while now I have been buying “semi-dried” basil. It’s a little container with fresh basil that is partially dried to increase its shelf life.

I find it in the produce section of my grocery store and Walmart. Since basil leaves turn brown if you basically look at them, I find semi-dried basil to be a money-saving, less-waste, solution.

collage of 2 photos: left, ingredients in white bowl with fork; right, ingredients combined

How to make this compound butter for steak or salmon

How is this for ridiculously easy: put the ingredients in a bowl and mash together. Make a little cocoon of the butter mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grill or cook your steak or salmon as desired. I suggest my grilled steak and seared salmon recipes if you are a beginner as both are basic recipes.

As soon as your steak or salmon is done cooking, top with a slice or two of sundried tomato basil finishing butter, and allow the butter to melt as the meat rests. If necessary, tent foil over salmon to hold in the heat and melt the butter.

collage of 4 photos showing the progression of wrapping compound butter in plastic wrap

FAQs

What is the best way to chop sundried tomatoes?

Though they come juicy in oil, sundried tomato is still a bit resistant to chopping. Also, we want to chop them pretty well so that we can easily slice out butter once ready. So first, use a cutting board that you can easily wash straight away so the juices and oil don’t stain it. Second, using a straight-edged, sharpened chefs knife works best for chopping.

Can this butter be frozen?

Absolutely yes. Wrap really tightly with plastic wrap, then with a layer of foil. Freeze for up to a month.

Can this recipe be doubled?

Also yes. As written, this makes 4 servings. When I make it, I do usually double the recipe myself. I still wrap in 2 batches though, so I can take one from the fridge and keep the other cold.

I’ve topped my salmon, but the finishing butter isn’t melting

When I take a steak off the grill and top immediately with this compound butter, I find it melts during the 5 minute rest time for the steak. Salmon, however, doesn’t radiate as much heat so in that case, I will take the salmon off the grill or out of the oven, top immediately, and tent foil over to hold heat in and melt the butter.

Last tips

The butter has to be softened in order to mix it with the rest of the ingredients, but I still like it a litte cold to end up with lovely bits and chunks of butter in the final presentation.

Once the slice of finishing butter sits and softens on the meat, use a fork to gently spread the tomato and basil around (optional).

If using very firm compound butter (i.e. frozen), plan ahead and have the broiler going. Top your salmon or steak with butter and stick under the broiler. The butter will soften so quickly without cooking the meat more. This is better than sticking it in a microwave – don’t do that.

cooked salmon on white plate; prepped recipe in foreground
cooked salmon on white plate with salad and finishing butter

Sundried Tomato Basil Finishing Butter for Steak or Salmon

Sundried Tomato Basil Finishing Butter for steak or salmon is an elegant compound butter and a beautiful way to present your glorious dish with amazing buttery savory flavor. Fresh basil, rich sundried tomato, aromatic garlic, and sweet cream butter combine to deliver the most gorgeous flavor worthy of your grilled steak or roasted salmon. Insanely easy to make, this recipe is perfect for beginners.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Keyword: compound butter, finishing butter, sundried tomato butter
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Authur: Erica
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 148kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped sundried tomatoes in oil drained
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 2 small cloves garlic minced (1 tsp)

Instructions

  • Combine the butter, sundried tomatoes, basil, salt, and garlic.
  • Place butter mixture as a mound in the center of a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap up like a ~3×2 inch log. Refrigerate.
  • When steaks and/or salmon are done cooking, top immediately with a slice or two of the butter.

Notes

If serving big eaters or making large steaks, I recommend doubling the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g

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