I eat salmon at least once a week. I am guilty of making salmon just to enjoy the crispy skin. It is like a huge potato chip to me. It totally grosses my husband out; he won't even try it to see if he likes it or not. I think he would enjoy the crispy and salty taste of the perfectly fried skin.
It does not taste fishy in my opinion. I fry the fish with the skin side down in a pool of olive oil that is very hot. My cast iron pan is perfect for this part of the recipe. It does the job quickly. I turn it over and get a nice sear and then transfer the salmon to a baking dish to finish cooking in the oven.
I don't always do this two-step process but for this dish I did. I removed the crispy skin and devoured it before my daughter could get wind of what I was doing in the kitchen. She loves the crispy salmon skin too. (For the most part I always share with her. It's what Moms do.) The oven allows the mayonnaise, lemon and herbs to coat the salmon filets. I take one large piece of salmon and cut it into two or three pieces and then top them with my desired ingredients.
Capers are heavenly in my opinion. They are briny and add just the right punch to this dish. I use them in everything these days. I love finding new ingredients. Capers are an ingredient I see posted in recipes all the time. I just never started buying them until recently. Not to sound to repetitive, but I am so glad I did.
This recipe calls for mayonnaise. There are several options you have here. You can make your own mayonnaise from scratch or use store bought. I have used both with great success. We have also used Vegannaise.
Enjoy this easy baked salmon dish.
Baked Salmon with Capers, Herbs, and Lemon
Serves 4
1.5 pounds of fresh, wild caught salmon (1 large filet or 4 smaller portions)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup of mayonnaise or Vegannaise
1 lemon, juice only
1 lemon, sliced thinly
4 sprigs each of fresh thyme and fresh dill
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Jar of capers
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray.
2. In a heavy duty frying pan heat oil. Add salmon with the skin down and fry. This takes about 3 minutes for the skin to get nice and crispy and to pull away from the salmon. Flip salmon and fry again for 3 minutes.
3. Remove skin and set aside. Add the whole filet of salmon or small salmon steaks to a baking dish. Season fish with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Smear top with mayonnaise. Sprinkle herbs, lemon slices and capers for the final touches. Cover with foil.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Fish should be moist and flake with a fork. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Written by Sherron Watson