Tom and Thierry are having a salmon sandwich competition. I can't compete with them. I don't even pretend to try. But since this week's broadcast is live from Issaquah Salmon Days I decided the best thing to do would be to bring my old standby salmon bake to the table.
I first learned about salt bed baking while living in Sweden. I'd gone shopping at Fiskekyrkan ("the fish church") in Göteborg and asked one of the vendors what I should do with the salmon I bought. Previously, I typically sauteed or grilled salmon. I wanted something that would showcase the freshness and clean flavor of salmon, rather than doctoring it up with too much effort.
Dill is widely used for salmon in Sweden. It's what I grab most often (and mostly out of habit).
Salt beds are remarkably simple. Just pour and go:
Salmon fillets (about 1.5 " thick)
Olive oil
Lemon juice (from 1/2 a lemon)
Salt
chopped Dill
coarse Kosher Salt
Brush the fish with oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with a little salt and dill.
Pour the coarse kosher salt into a baking dish and set the fish on top.
Bake at 450 until for about 15 minutes. Fish will be opaque and but not dry.
That's it! Toss the salt and serve with a sauce and some roasted or baked potatoes.
I make a quick sauce by sauteeing half an onion in oil until soft, adding a little white wine and cream and then seasoning with more salt and dill.
It has been suggested that I use some of the fancy flavored salts that are so popular right now. I might experiment with that next time.
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