Friday, July 19, 2013

THE Perfect Oven Roasted Salmon -- With "Fancy" Butter

Wild Salmon roasting in the oven.  Yum!


I was going to grill tonight.  The mosquitoes kept me away.  I guess I must be really sweet, because those bugs sure do like me.

But I have to admit; it's MUCH cooler down here in Florida than it is up north right now.  Amazing.  Being that I am not your local weather forecaster, I must be here for another reason? 

Yup.  FOOD!  I will get on with the show.

Salmon is a great food when you are trying to eat healthy.  Hubby and I both struggle with our weight.  I try to keep mine in check by jumping around the room like a maniac to my exercise DVDs - and shouting out a few choice words at the trainers, too.  Hey, they can't hear me. 

Or can they?

Cue the Twilight Zone music.

Up until I crossed the 40 yard line, as I like to call it, I never used to have to exercise, btw! But then, back in the day, I never wrote things like btw either.  So there you go!

Dan (hubby) does not care for salmon all that much, unless it's been cooked until it flakes.   Well done salmon can taste dry to those who love it.  So I came up with this easy weeknight meal that stays true to the fish, while catering to all sorts of tastes. 

Read on and you will see what I mean.

Serves 3-4.

3/4 - 1 lb. wild caught Sockeye Salmon, skin on
1 tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good quality)
1/2 tsp. Canadian Chicken Seasoning (I used Weber brand)
1/2 tsp. seafood seasoning (I used Old Bay)
1 tsp. dried dill weed
3 slices fresh lemon
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. capers, drained and rinsed




For the "Fancy" Butter:

2 1/2 tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. anchovy paste
1/2 tsp. chopped fennel fronds

Other:  Butter flavored cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  



Place salmon , skin side down, on a tin foil-lined baking sheet.  Rub the salmon with the olive oil.  Sprinkle the chicken seasoning, the seafood seasoning and the dill weed on top.  Rub into the flesh of the fish.  Top with lemon slices.

Bake fish for 18 minutes for opaque, 23 minutes for well done.  Note: During the last three minutes of baking, top the fish the lemon juice and caper mixture.

Combine softened butter with anchovy paste and fennel fronds.  You can either leave it whole and slice it on top of the cooked fish, or you can smash it all together. If you decide to go with leaving it whole, I recommend you keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Either way, you top the fish before you are ready to serve it.

I like to serve this dish with pasta tossed with olive oil and fennel roasted with red pepper and lemon juice.  It's a good way to use up some of my dried peppers that I am growing.  Check this out!




Enjoy.  Oh, and I promised you when I re-started this blog that I would be doing more special features and videos.  I'm going to attempt another video within the next couple of weeks.  We will see how that goes. 

Cheers and peace!

As usual, no product was supplied to blogger.  Names of products provided as substituting could change the taste of the dish.

Looking for a wine to pair with this dish?  Try a crisp Pinot Grigio.

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