This Simple Roasted Salmon is my favorite easy fish recipe, seasoned only with olive oil, salt and pepper, the salmon speaks for itself!
A Special Occassion Dinner
We did the Thanksgiving weekend a little different this year. Last weekend we went to Wisconsin to visit my family and are doing the traditional turkey dinner with my husband’s family on Saturday. So, that left just the 3 of us on Thursday, no traveling, no shopping, just playing in the first snowfall, an afternoon nap for the whole family, and simple roasted salmon. Elegant enough for a holiday, yet simple enough for a weeknight, it’s one of our favorite treats!
Simple Ingredients
This salmon recipe is one of our staples, because it is so easy and basic. No fancy sauces or complicated seasonings, the fish just speaks for itself. Just fresh wild caught salmon (although there are good quality frozen options too!), seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. We served it with an easy salad, mashed potatoes, and the best bread I’ve had in a long time. I don’t shop at Whole Foods often, but this “ancient grains” loaf was quite amazing!
Tips for Perfect Salmon
My dad taught me a little trick that I now use every time I roast salmon. When roasting a piece of ‘skin on’ salmon in the oven, cut a brown paper bag to fit under the salmon while you roast it. The skin sticks to the bag while the flesh pulls right off to serve. This makes the pan much easier to clean without that caked on skin that you have to soak for three days!
After posting the salmon recipe, my Dad (a fabulous cook himself), wanted to add a few more tips that I think are great. His email…
“I read your salmon recipe. It looked and sounded great. Here are two other tips. First, if I am roasting a whole side of salmon, I score the meat into serving size pieces before cooking, leaving the skin intact. That makes it much easier to cut out individual pieces without wrecking the appearance of the fish and without having ragged edges on your servings.
Second, I always rest my salmon for 5 minutes after I cook it. Cover it with foil on a plate. I doubt if it redistributes the juices like beef, but the salmon continues to cook as it rests. I try to slightly under-cook the fish while roasting or grilling with the idea that it will finish cooking while it rests. It helps avoid overcooking the fish which is about the worst thing you can do if you love salmon. Love Dad”
If you love salmon, give my Wild Caught Salmon with Garlic Honey Butter a try! Use your leftovers for Salmon Bagels.
Simple Roasted Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon filet or a little bigger - serves about 4 people
- 2 t olive oil
- ½ t kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° convection bake
- Cut a brown paper bag to roughly fit under your salmon (this step is optional but makes for easy clean up)
- Place the salmon on the paper, on a roasting pan, (check for and remove any pin bones) drizzle it with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper
- Roast in the oven 12 to 15 minutes. Time can vary depending on thickness of fish, test with a fork, it is done when it flakes easily but don't overcook it!
- Serve with any sides, potatoes, green roasted or blanched veggies, or crusty bread
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