Comfort food: Easy baked salmon

by Stefania Butler, Posted Jan 17th 2006 @ 3:42PM

Yesterday I was in the mood for baked salmon and roasted garlic mashers, one of my favorite comfort food combinations. I took a short cut and bought the mashed potatoes from Bryan's Market, made a big green salad, then set the fish to baking.

The mayonnaise in the recipe helps to keep the salmon moist, and puffs and crisps up to give the fish a deliciously subtle "crust." I find the very high cooking temperature to be perfect for thicker fillets. If you use thinner filets (tail-end fillets) you may want to reduce cooking time by 5-10 minutes. It was so comforting and easy, I just had to share.

Stefania's Easy Baked Salmon

Preheat oven to 450º.

4 thick wild Coho salmon fillets (1.5-2 inches thick)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (light okay)
zest and juice of half a lemon
2 cloves of garlic very finely minced
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place fillets skin side down on a pan that has been covered with a sheet of aluminum foil. (I do this for easy clean-up.) Mix mayonnaise with lemon juice, zest and garlic. Shmear the mayo mixture generously all over the top and sides of the fillets, then add salt and pepper. Place into hot oven and cook exactly 18 minutes. This ensures a pink, barely-cooked center. If you like your fish a little more well-done, place back into oven for 1-2 more minutes. (No longer than 20 minutes total).

Filed Under: Ingredients, How To, Methods
Tags: baked salmon, baking, comfort food, ComfortFood, cooking with mayonnaise, dinner, fish, mashed potatoes, west coast, wild coho salmon