Oven-Roasted Side of Salmon
You can serve this hot, or make it ahead for a brunch and serve it at room temperature. It makes a very dramatic presentation! I recommend making one or both of my yogurt sauces to serve on the side. (Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or ¼ cup olive oil
1 shallot minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 side of salmon (1½ to 3 pounds), skin on, small white bones removed
1 lemon, sliced very thin
Olive oil spray
Heavy duty aluminum foil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oven to 450. Melt butter (or heat oil) in a small saucepan. Add shallot and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook about 2 minutes til softened. Off heat, stir in dill.
Cut a sheet of foil slightly larger than a rimmed baking sheet. Lay foil diagonally across the baking sheet and spray baking sheet with olive oil.
Pat salmon dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Lay the salmon skin down on foil. Brush with all the dill butter, then lay the lemon slices in rows over the fish.
Roast about 12 to 15 minutes until opaque. (The thicker parts will be less cooked than the ends.)
Using the foil as a sling, transfer salmon—still on the foil—to an oval serving platter. Run a spatula underneath the salmon to loosen it from the foil and gently pull the foil out. Serve with yogurt sauce.