Quick and Easy, Four Ingredient, Oven-Baked Salmon

When we plan our meals for the week, most of us try to look for variety and a healthy balance. What typically makes my list are plenty of vegetable based dishes, and a few lean protein ones. As much as I like fish, I have to admit that I don’t cook it all that often, because certain members of my family (who  shall remain anonymous) don’t care much for it.

When I do cook fish, however, my rule is that the recipe has to be quick and easy, with minimum preparation, a short cooking time, and easy cleanup. This recipe for quick and easy oven-baked salmon, fills all these requirements, is virtually fool-proof and the best thing of all — it can be on the table in just about 15 minutes. Nothing beats the convenience of a healthy weeknight meal like that!

Slowly roasting salmon concentrates the flavors and avoids the risk of overcooking it. For this recipe I am using just four ingredients:  salmon, olive oil, lemon and fresh thyme. Yes, there is also salt and pepper involved, but I will not count those. Use the freshest salmon you can find, or, if you don’t care for salmon, use any other cold-water fish, like halibut, Arctic char, or stripped bass.

This recipe serves two, but you can easily double it and have leftovers to toss in salads later in the week. Cooked salmon stores easily in the refrigerator for several days. I hope that even those of my readers who are sitting on the fence and are afraid of cooking fish will give this easy recipe a try!

Quick and Easy, Four Ingredient, Oven-Baked Salmon

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

A simple and foolproof way to cook salmon in just fifteen minutes.

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 salmon fillets, center cut and skin on, about 5 oz. each
• 3 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small lemon, cut in thin slices
• --- sprigs of fresh thyme
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Once it reaches this temperature, place a small pan with water on the lower shelf (this will create a moist environment while roasting).
2. Brush the salmon generously with two tablespoons of olive oil on both sides, season with sea salt and pepper and place skin-side-down in a small pan, or, in an oven-proof skillet. Tuck some lemon slices and a few thyme sprigs under the salmon and place a couple of thyme sprigs on top of the salmon.
3. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or, until the color of the salmon turns opaque and begins to flake easily (the baking time will depend on the thickness of the fillet, so check it to make sure). The internal temperature of the salmon should register between 125°F to 130°F when it is ready. Remember that the salmon will continue to cook even after it comes out of the oven.
4. Remove the salmon from the oven. Drizzle the fillets with the remaining olive oil, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top, and let the dish rest for 5 minutes.
5. Using a flexible spatula, remove the salmon from the pan, place it on individual plates, and discard the thyme--the skin should come off easily. Serve warm or at room temperature with a simple green vegetable on the side.

Notes

Sometimes, a white protein (called albumin) can seep out of the salmon as it roasts - especially when it overcooks. This is completely normal, but if it visually bothers you, you can easily blot it off before your final drizzle extra virgin olive oil.

3.5.3229

Here are two more seafood recipes you might want to try:

Fish en Papilliote

Quick and Easy Weeknight Garlic Shrimp

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