Nothing beats Ferris’ lemony, buttery, caper-topped salmon.

Let’s be honest. Most salmon in campus dining halls is, for lack of a better word, mid. Usually, the fish is so dry that biting into a piece feels like chewing on sand. But Ferris’ lemon butter salmon is different. It’s moist, tangy, and utterly delightful. When I check Liondine and see “Lemon Butter Salmon” listed under Ferris’ “main line” section (which is only every once in a while), I cheer, already looking forward to the moment when that first morsel of salmon touches my tongue. In fact, I will go as far as to inform my friends about this momentous occasion so that they feel compelled to make the pilgrimage to Lerner 2nd floor with me, ID cards held out and ready. I’ve tried other various recipes of salmon served by John Jay and Ferris alike, but nothing has ever come close to this lemon butter salmon that simply melts in your mouth.

On their Instagram, Columbia Dining describes this dish as “crispy, oven-roasted salmon topped with a zesty lemon butter sauce”. Indeed, the sauce is what makes this salmon dish stand out from the other mediocre renditions on campus. It’s exactly what it thinks it is, and the capers that come with it are truly a pleasure to consume. When it’s my turn to heap piles of salmon onto my plate, I make sure to pick the salmon pieces that are the most thoroughly covered in sauce and capers. I’ll even use the tongs to dunk the salmon into the sauce pooled at the bottom to make sure I’m maximizing my lemon butter sauce consumption. My one complaint is that Ferris should provide a soup spoon along with tongs in order to allow true lemon butter sauce lovers like me to scoop as much sauce as they’d like onto their plates. I, personally, want my salmon drenched in it.

So next time Ferris has its life changing lemon butter salmon, I encourage you to go try it out. Paired with a side of vegetables and Ferris’ strawberry cake (which I could write a whole second lover letter about), this lemon butter salmon makes for the perfect on-campus meal—just make sure to get as much sauce as possible.

Image via Columbia Dining Instagram