Leyla Weighs In: My go-to weeknight salmon
I like to make this main course on weeknights because it truly is quick and easy. No muss, no fuss.
I take two to four salmon fillets and lay them skin side down in my favorite glass Pyrex casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sprinkle salt and pepper, chopped fresh dill weed (not the stems) and a good sprinkle of capers, drained. Then I thinly slice a lemon and place a couple of slices on top of each fillet. I don’t squeeze any lemon juice on the fillets until after they’re cooked; I find it a little bitter to cook the lemon juice on the fish. Lastly, I may do a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil around the pan too. Note – fresh garlic is an option with this dish but I find it can overpower the delicate flavor of the fish.
Into the oven it goes. Generally, this cooks for around 20 minutes—your cooking times may vary. I eat the salmon skin because it’s delicious! A seafood “bacon” of sorts.
There is always a big salad accompaniment on the dinner table as with all my dinners, but sometimes, in lieu of a salad, I’ll have a dish of crudité comprised of cucumber, radish, scallions, carrots and celery—occasionally a halved romaine heart and cherry or grape tomatoes. A deconstructed salad, if you will. Also accompanying the salmon will be some roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts, asparagus or zucchini. By the way, roasted veggies make for a beautiful salad topper for lunch the next day—not to mention the leftover salmon!
This salmon dish is not only my go-to for weeknights, but I love leftover roasted salmon in the morning for breakfast right out of the fridge. I may add some diced avocado with a sprinkle of salt and lime juice, and/or some Persian cucumber spears. The Persian variety may be the most delicious cucumber I’ve ever tasted! In truth, I could eat this for breakfast every morning, because I love salmon.
When it comes to cooking fish, one or maybe two days of leftovers is the rule—it generally doesn’t stay good longer than that in the fridge.
To your health!
Leyla Muedin, MS, RD, CDN
