Lemon Thyme Salmon

My first recipe for 2014 comes from Jessica Seinfeld's new cookbook, The Can't Cook Book, that I received for Christmas.  I have SO many recipes marked to try in this book.  Of the 4 new cookbooks I got for Christmas, this is my favorite.  I by no means consider myself a novice cook and I learned so many tips and tricks from in here.  More than anything this is a cookbook for anyone wanting to cook simple, delicious, healthy food.  Her recipes are very straight forward and use real, basic ingredients.

 

Salmon is my absolute favorite fish.  If I'm eating fish, it's salmon 90% of the time.  The main reason I was excited to try this recipe was the cooking method.  Right now the only way I cook salmon is either on the grill or baking it in the oven.  This recipe is broiled in the oven.

Lemon Thyme Salmon 

Altered slightly from Jessica Seinfeld via The Can't Cook Book

Ingredients:

• 4 lemons
• 24 sprigs Thyme
• 4, 6 oz boneless, skinless salmon fillets
• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the boiler with the rack 4 inches from the top.
2. Slice the lemons.  Arrange on a rimmed backing sheet in 4 sections.  Wash and dry the thyme.  Place thyme over lemons.
3. Lay each salmon fillet on a bed of thyme and lemon.  Tuck the thyme under the salmon so it doesn't burn.  
4. Drizzle the olive oil and rub to coat salmon fillets.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over top.  
5. Broil for 7-8 minutes, until top is golden brown and salmon flakes easily with a fork.

The ruling:
This salmon was perfectly cooked.  Besides grilling, this just might be my new favorite way to bake salmon.  It didn't get dried out like I feel it usually does when I bake it.  The only thing I will change next time is the seasonings.  I simply think it needs more on top.  Make sure you squeeze some lemon over this!  It adds volumes of flavor.

Check out my favorite salmon flavoring ever:  Dill Cedar Plank Salmon.  I bake it in the oven as well and the flavor is out of this world.  I can't wait to try it with this broiling method!

Rating: 4 stars
Make agin?  Absolutely, but with different seasonings.

Dill Cedar Plank Salmon

This is my FAVORITE salmon recipe ever, quite possibly my favorite meat recipe ever!  I seriously think I could eat this every night and never get tired of it.  Cedar is a wonderful thing!  Okay, I'm done now.  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 (3 pound) whole filet of salmon, skin on, scored (up to but not through the skin) into serving pieces
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving


Directions

1. Soak an untreated cedar plank (or planks) large enough to hold a side of salmon (5 to 7 inches wide and 16 to 20 inches long) in water, weighting it with something heavy, like a brick, so it stays submerged 30 minutes to 24 hours.
2. When ready to grill, either build a charcoal fire in half the grill or turn grill burners on high for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix oil, garlic, dill, salt, pepper and lemon zest; rub over salmon and into scored areas to coat. 
3. Place soaked cedar on hot grill grate, close lid, and watch until wood starts to smoke, about 5 minutes. Transfer salmon to hot plank, move salmon off direct charcoal heat or turn burners to low, and cook covered until salmon is just opaque throughout (130 on a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest section) 20 to 25 minutes or longer, depending on thickness and grill temperature. Let sit 5 minutes; serve with lemon wedges.

Printable Cedar Plank Salmon Recipe

Salmon with Lemon, Capers, and Rosemary #53

This is Giada De Laurentiis's recipe.  It is very highly rated, can't wait to try it!

The case:
Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
8 lemon slices (about 2 lemons)
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
4 teaspoons capers
4 pieces of aluminum foil

Directions
1.  Brush top and bottom of salmon fillets with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary.
2.  Place each piece of seasoned salmon on a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. Top the each piece of salmon with 2 lemon slices, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of capers. Wrap up salmon tightly in the foil packets.
3.  Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Place the foil packets on the hot grill and cook for 10 minutes for a 1-inch thick piece of salmon. Serve in the foil packets.

The ruling:
I baked this at 400 for 17 minutes.  This was very good!  I will make this again.

Cilantro Marinated Salmon #46

For some reason I can't get enough salmon here lately.  I crave it!  Which is really weird since I wouldn't touch the stuff a year ago!  It's been a gorgeous day, and I'm so happy to be grilling out!

The case:
Ingredients
4 salmon fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions
1.  Season fillets with salt and pepper, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Set aside in a baking dish.
2.  In a medium bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, balsamic vinegar, sugar, green onions, and cilantro. Pour marinade over salmon; cover, and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.
3.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).  Arrange salmon on a broiling sheet. Place in a preheated oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Increase heat to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C), turn fillets, and broil 5 minutes more.

The ruling:
I left out the green onions, used regular (dark) balsamic vinegar.  and only put red pepper flakes on half of the salmon.  It was so beautiful we grilled the salmon instead of cooking in the oven.  Michael and I are still learning about grilling, and when I say that I mean Michael is.  We had the temperature too low on the fire, so the salmon took longer to cook and this ended up drying out the fish a bit.  It was still really good though.

Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce #27

I'm really stepping outside of my comfort zone today. This was supposed to be our Valentine's Day dinner, but I got lazy and made that soup instead.

The case:
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup prepared mustard
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves
* 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
* 2 teaspoons dried dill, or to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise and mustard. Stir in thyme, oregano, and basil. Place salmon fillets on a baking sheet, and spread with the mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle with dill weed.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the salmon is easily flaked with a fork.

The ruling:
I made this with all dried herbs and put the juice from half a squeezed lemon in the mayonnaise mixture. I just can't eat fish without citrus. This was not my favorite the way it was cooked, but I want to try it again because I think it has good potential. I got this off of allrecipes.com and several reviews suggested using a cup of plain yogurt and 1/2 cup mayo. One person also recommended seasoning the salmon with salt and lemon juice first. I want to try it with these changes. Plus put the dill on the salmon instead of on top of the cream. The flavors were good, but the cream was a little heavy and the flavor didn't seep down into the fish.

Maple Salmon #16

Thawed out salmon earlier this week without really having a plan for it. This was the top baked salmon recipe on allrecipes.com, and I just happened to have all the ingredients so I figured I would try it!

The case:
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon

1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.
2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

The ruling:
This just wasn't my flavor. I am very picky about fish and basically only like it with a major citrus influence.