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Easy: Lemon-Dill Roasted Salmon
Here is the main course I prepared for family this
Christmas. Salmon, at least smoked salmon, is a traditional Christmas dish in
the British Isles, Scandinavia and north-central Europe. Roasted salmon also
appears, especially in Scandinavia as part of the main course at Christmas
dinner. I fix salmon because I like it and, more important, because my family
likes it.
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| A double recipe, served for our family Christmas, 2018 |
I learned this way of roasting salmon from a Greek Cypriot
friend whose mother prepared her fish (though not salmon in those days) this
way. Pani, as he was called, was one of the founders of Decatur
Salmon is not traditional in the Mediterranean ,
but has become popular now even there as local fish has become more expensive
and difficult to find. Lemon and dill are both used extensively in the Eastern Mediterranean , including with fish as a natural
partner. But lemon and dill are also used with fish in Scandinavia ,
where salmon is common.
A crisp Sauvignon Blanc or a not-too-heavy Chardonnay go
well with this. Viognier is a wine grape I’m more recently familiar with and
love with salmon as well as roasted turkey or pork. Oh yes, and a lemon rice
pilaf will be in the spirit of the eastern Mediterranean. (See my pilaf recipe in
the 8/24/2019 blog posting, and eliminate the peppers, onions, and fruits, and
simply add to the rice-cooking water 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon
grated lemon zest, and a bay leaf, broken in half.)
The salmon recipe serves six generously.
2 pounds salmon
filet in one piece, as fresh as possible, and preferably without skin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black
pepper,
1/4 cup freshly
chopped dill (a weak substitute is 1-1/2 tablespoons dry dill weed)
3 tablespoons olive
oil
3 lemons
Extra lemon and sprigs
of dill for garnish
Preheat oven to 500 degrees (very hot), and temporarily turn
off the smoke alarm!
Rinse the salmon and dry it with a paper towel. Liberally
sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides and dust both sides with dill. Cut the
lemons in half crosswise. Slice a very thin slice off each of the halves and
reserve them.
On a large shallow-edged glass or metal pan, such as a
cookie sheet with sides, spread 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over an area of
the size of the fish, then squeeze two of the lemon halves over this area. Place
the seasoned fish on the prepared pan. Drench the surface of the fish with the
juice squeezed from the remaining lemon halves. Lay the slices of lemon up the
middle of the fish, placed so that when the fish is cut into six pieces, each
will have a lemon slice. Drizzle the whole surface with the remaining olive oil
and lightly dust a few bits of dill on top of the lemon slices. Let the fish
season for 10 to 20 minutes.
When oven is very hot, place the pan on the shelf highest in
the oven. Roast the salmon for 11-12 minutes or just until the surface and
edges of the fish are beginning to turn crispy and when a knife inserted into
the thickest part of the fish and twisted slightly shows a pale opaque pink
color. Do not overcook.
Serve hot, accompanied by lemon wedges and sprigs of dill. Alternately,
this dish can be cooked ahead and served cold as a buffet dish.
Note:
The fish can be cut into six serving-sized pieces before
seasoning and roasting rather than treated as an entire piece.
