Salt-Baked Herbed Salmon with Red Onion-Caper Vinaigrette
Never having fileted a fish, I went to the source for all knowledge, YouTube! And, with a couple of video viewings under my belt, I was looking forward to some beautifully smooth, well-shaped fillets. However, as you might have guessed, I did a real hatchet job. My salmon fillets were marred with pock-marks (or were they divots?). I also left a lot of flesh on the bones. Obviously, it wasn't as easy as the videos made it look.
Fortunately, the bright green herb topping came to my rescue and covered all of my mistakes! I'm pretty sure that wasn't the chef's intended purpose, but I'll take it. The bed of rock salt is also an interesting technique, moderating the heat for more gentle cooking as well as seasoning the salmon thru the skin. The recipe also called for salt on top of the filet. Personally, I found it a tad too salty, so in the future I'll either reduce the amount or omit it altogether.
The second time I made this, I didn't have a box of rock salt, so I experimented subbing with dried lentils that I keep for blind baking. I placed a sheet of parchment paper on top of the lentils and then laid the salmon filets on top of that. It worked in terms of moderating the heat, but of course I knew it wouldn't add any additional salt flavor, so in this case I made sure to salt the top of the salmon sufficiently.
You can also use a finer salt for the salmon's bed, but when serving the finished salmon be careful that you don't have any of the flesh touch the salt!
Finally, the vinaigrette totally makes this recipe!! You have to make it! I was feeling a bit disheartened after the fileting fiasco, and thought about skipping the vinaigrette. I'm so glad I didn't, because it's become a favorite condiment that's also awesome over plain steamed rice, on top of baked chicken, or as a salad dressing.
Salt-Baked Herbed Salmon with Red Onion-Caper Vinaigrette
Adapted from Genius Recipes by Food52
Serves 8
First, prepare the vinaigrette so the flavors have extra time to meld.
In a 13oz capacity glass jar with lid, add ingredients and shake until emulsified:
1 cup/240ml olive oil
1/4 cup/60ml sherry vinegar (pomegranate vinegar is also fantastic!)
1/2 red onion thinly sliced or diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons capers, drained
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can also make this up to 2 days in advance. The flavor is definitely better the next day. Just remember to shake again right before using.
Next, prepare the salmon.
Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C. Cover a large rimmed sheet pan or roasting pan with aluminum foil. Pour into and spread evenly so it just covers the lined pan:
rock salt (like for old-fashioned crank ice cream machines) or kosher salt
Place skin side down on top of the rock salt:
4 lbs/1.8 kg salmon fillet(s), pinbones removed, skin intact
Rub into the flesh:
2 tablespoons mixed minced fresh herbs (tarragon, basil, flat-leaf parsley, thyme)
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, cracked
Season with:
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the fish is opaque on the outside and slightly translucent in the center To check, push aside the herb topping if necessary and gently flake the thickest part of the fillet with a fork to check for translucency. Remove from oven and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let stand for 5 minutes. The salmon will continue to cook.
To serve, use a knife to gently portion salmon. With a thin spatula, carefully slide between the skin and the filet to separate. Plate the filet and spoon some of the vinaigrette over the salmon. Serve along with remaining vinaigrette.
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