Steven first introduced me to this salmon dish many years ago during the teenage period when I hated mayo. I definitely raised my eyebrow when I heard mayo and salmon in the same sentence. In my mind, why ruin a perfectly good piece of fish by slathering it with something like mayonnaise? Well after I reluctantly tried a bite of the salmon, it wasn’t bad. When I recently bought some Copper River salmon, this was the first dish Steven asked me to make. Go figure. I'm not sure how common this particular salmon preparation is but I'm guessing this recipe probably isn’t everyone’s cup of tea since lots of people dislike mayonnaise. The main purpose of the mayo is to keep the salmon moist so I don’t use too much. After baking, the mayo is no longer goopy and mayo-like, instead it forms a light and tasty crust on top of the salmon. The original recipe used only salt, pepper, and mayo to top the salmon. I had to make it more interesting so I added some sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest, and Dijon mustard.
Baked Salmon ala Sun-dried Tomato and Lemon Mayonnaise
1 lb salmon fillet
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed of oil and minced
Zest from half a lemon, about 1 tsp
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Take the salmon out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before cooking to let it warm up a bit.
Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position. Line a baking pan with a sheet of foil, coat the foil with some olive oil, and lay the fillet on the pan skin side down. Salt and pepper the top of the salmon.
In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, sun-dried tomatoes, and lemon zest. Using the back of a spoon or a spatula, coat the top and sides of the fillet with an even layer of the mayo mixture.
Broil on the upper middle rack until the top is golden brown, a few minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees halfway through so the crust browns evenly. After broiling, if a paring knife cannot be inserted cleanly into the fish, or if it does not flake, then turn off the broiler, and return the fish to a 400ºF oven and finish baking the salmon for a few more minutes.
15 comments:
Interesting! I have never had this before... I'll give it a try. I admit I am not a very big fan of salmon, so I may choose some other fish instead! :)
I can tell I love this recipe. This is something I'll definitely try, but maybe not until it gets too cold to cook the salmon on the grill. Saving to del.icio.us now!
Amy, what a different recipe!
I made something similar with chicken when I was a teenager, the trick was to completely cover the chicken pieces with mayo then to sprinkle a sort of onion powder we have here (it's a powder used to make soup with). Then you baked it and it had a nice crust.
It wasn't my cup of tea, but this salmon looks fantastic!
This looks really good! I have a tilapia recipe that requires mayo. I don't like mayo, but I love that recipe. I bet I'd feel the same about this one!
I think I'll have to give this a try tomorrow night. There is not that muh mayo for 1 lb of fish so that sounds great!
Anh,
This will probably work with another meaty, richer type of fish. :)
Kalyn,
Let me know you like it!
Patricia,
Thank you! It's pretty cool how the mayo makes a crust on the salmon or on the chicken, but I agree mayo isn't liked by everyone.
Kristen,
I'm the same way, I'm not crazy about mayo but I like it a lot in this recipe.
Helen,
I went really light on the mayo, but if you have a hard time covering the entire salmon you can add another tablespoon or so.
I usually just tell people it is a sauce and not mayo. But it does such a good job of keeping the fish moist.
I'm one of those who falls into the category of not liking mayo :O
Okay, I'm a bit skeptical about the mayo, but your photo looks so mouthwatering that I will definitely have to try it. I love salmon, and I love mayo, but I've never thought of putting the two together!
Peabody,
I would say the same thing to unsuspecting guests. :D Mayo has such a bad rep. :(
Tigerfish,
That's okay. :) I use to not like mayo too.
Lydia,
If you like salmon and mayo then I'm sure you'll like this recipe. :D It's definitely harder to convince people who don't like mayo.
I love salmon and the mayo actually sounds like a good idea, in small amounts, for keeping the fish moist. I would probably add some lemon zest, too and maybe garlic. Cool recipe!
Elle,
Thanks! Roasted garlic in mayo is delish and sometimes I make a smokey mayo by adding a little adobo sauce. :)
my boys who hate fish polished up all of this dish! i'll have to make more filets next time. i used tilapa actually. thanks for the great recipe =)
Er, I think someone has is using your picture of baked salmon on their site.
http://sockeyesalmon.blogspot.com/2008/01/baked-salmon-fillets-with-wasabi-mayo.html
Very nicely done...I will definitely try this..check out some fish recipes on http://onlyfishrecipes.blogspot.com/
Post a Comment