A novel enzymatic assay for salicylate in serum has been developed. Salicylate monooxygenase and NADH are used to convert the drug to catechol. This is reacted with 4-aminophenol at high pH to yield a blue product, which is detected colorimetrically. The assay is complete in less than seven minutes and requires no sophisticated equipment. The method is precise, sensitive and shows excellent accuracy in recovery experiments and when compared to a high performance liquid chromatography method. The assay is free from interference by coloured or turbid samples, salicylate metabolites, structurally related compounds such as benzoate and 4-hydroxybenzoate, and a range of drugs. The assay reagents demonstrate excellent stability. The formulation of the assay in two stages provides increased specificity and sensitivity compared to other emergency salicylate assays and allows the inclusion of reagents to greatly enhance the stability of the salicylate monooxygenase-NADH reagent, yet the method is simple and performs well.