Seventeen-minute Salmon
There is quite a bit that goes into a recipe. Unless I’m baking, I like to think of them more as guidelines, rather than a set of definite rules. Every once in a while, you come across a recipe that is to be enjoyed at it’s finest, you need to follow it exactly. Enter the seventeen-minute salmon! Not sixteen-minute salmon, nor eighteen-minute salmon. Seventeen-minute salmon! Covered in minced garlic, olive oil, lemon slices and fresh dill, it comes out of the oven in this incredible sweet-spot between buttery/velvety and poke-style. If you are someone who is hesitant about rare fish, leave yours in the oven for 20 minutes and cut into the thickest part to make sure it’s cooked-through to your liking. The flavor is going to be outstanding regardless, but the reason this recipe is so special is the perfect cook-time and truly unique texture created while roasting. This was a recipe given to me by a dear friend and the first time I made it, I left it in for about twenty minutes and I thought it was perfect. He pleaded with me to make it again, this time to trust it and pull it out at the seventeen-minute mark. What I discovered was the most succulent and vibrant baked fish I had ever tasted. This is a recipe that I plead for you to try a few times. Each oven is different, maybe you’ll find your perfect cooking time, but until you do take my word for it! Seventeen minutes is just right! Let’s get cooking!
Seventeen-Minute Salmon
Prep-time 10 minutes
Cook time 17 minutes
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
2 pounds of salmon (skin on or off depending on your liking)
2-3 lemons : thinly-sliced to cover the entire salmon, once covered use the remaining lemons to juice
5 sprigs of fresh dill
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 cloves minced garlic
Aluminum foil
(The asparagus pictured is optional, I found it to be a nice pairing. I love to roast asparagus with olive oil and top with parmesan cheese and balsamic glaze, but on this particular evening I decided to leave them simple and delicious.)
Procedure
Step 1 Line a rimmed baking sheet with a large piece of aluminum foil. Lightly coat the oil with some baking spray and place the salmon on top (skin down). Salmon fillets are pictured, but this also is great with a whole side of salmon. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make sure to rub in the oil and seasoning to coat. This is cooking people, you can use your hands! Scatter your minced garlic on top of the fish.
Step 2 Arrange the sliced lemons top of the salmon. I like to cover them completely. That acidity is going to balance the garlic beautifully. Top it all with your sprigs of fresh dill and cover the entire dish with the juice of the second lemon. Slice the remaining lemon to use as a last squeeze when serving for brightness. Fold the sides of the aluminum foil up and over the top of the salmon until it is completely enclosed. If your piece of foil is not large enough, place a second piece of foil on top and fold the edges under so that it forms a sealed packet. Leave a little room inside the foil for air to circulate.
(A mandoline is great for slicing lemons and your presentation will be beautiful!)
Step 3 Bake the salmon at 375-degrees for seventeen minutes. I’m not sure if i’ve mentioned the cook time is seventeen minutes but I just wanted to make sure. Pull it out and check to see that it is just almost cooked through at the thickest part. If you’re like me the first time you might think it needs a bit more time. Just throw it back in if so, but not for more than 3-4 more minutes. Squeeze a bit more lemon juice on top and a little salt to taste.
