Fresh Salmon with Pineapple and Fennel
Salmon would have to be one of the least high maintenance foods about. If it’s fresh you can eat it raw, with wasabi and soy if you wish. If you want to cook it, all you really have to do is throw it in a hot pan for a few minutes and you have a beautiful piece of protein that is totally delicious just as it is. Some find it boring, but I love it. Maybe it’s the simplicity that appeals to me. It’s a stand-alone, no fuss, protein. I also really like the versatility of it. You can make so many different dishes from a piece of salmon. All of them quite different, yet all of them mouth-watering.
Cooking a side of salmon is an easy, yet impressive way to add the wow factor to any dinner table. All the finishing is on the salmon when you cook it. Once cooked all you need to do is transfer to your serving dish, pour over the juice in the bottom of your pan, add a piece of lemon if you so desire and then sit back and listen to your guests wax lyrical about your magnificent cooking ability.
Salmon is a rich protein so I always like to serve it with relatively fresh sides. A simple green leaf salad and some fresh bread will do the trick nicely.
Serves 4-8
This is one of those dishes that will feed anywhere from 4-8 grown-ups. It’s so yum that those at the table will just keep going back for more. And is there any better compliment than that? Don’t get too caught up on the quantity of ingredients below. There really is no need to measure or weigh them as it’s actually not that important.
1 side of salmon approx. 1kg in weight. Pin boned. The fishmonger will happily do this for you.
120gms fresh pineapple
10-12 cherry tomatoes
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
20gms cold butter – cut into small cubes
Fresh fennel (or dill) fronds
Salt & cracked pepper
Grab yourself an oven proof dish that is big enough for the side of salmon to lie flat in. Then get some tinfoil that is wide enough and long enough to make a parcel for the salmon to be wrapped in. It is important that you can seal the salmon in the tinfoil so that all the heat and steam stay in the parcel. You may need to mould 2 pieces together – but I’m quite sure you will figure it out.
Place the tinfoil into the oven proof dish and spray with non-stick spray if you have some. If not, drizzle in a tiny bit of oil and spread it about to only just cover the foil. This is so the skin doesn’t stick when cooking.
Lay the salmon on the foil. Place the remaining ingredients evenly over the salmon, then seal the foil well.
Cook in a 200C oven for approx. 40mins. The size of the salmon fillet will dictate the exact cooking time. The good thing about salmon is that it’s just as delicious if it’s a little undercooked, so my advice is ere on the side of caution. You do not want to overcook it. I usually check after 30mins, just in case it’s a bit of a thinner piece and has cooked through. Always check the fattest part of the fillet when checking if it is cooked or not.
Once cooked remove from the oven and serve immediately. If you can’t do this, open the foil to let the steam out otherwise it will keep cooking.
To serve:
This is the tricky bit. Get yourself a couple of fish slices and come at it from both ends. Gently slide under the fish, one from each end, and lift fillet onto a serving platter. Don’t worry if some of it breaks off. This always happens to me. Simply place it back together, strategically place some of the pineapple and tomatoes over the broken bit and no one will be any the wiser 😊
Add wedges of lemon, pour over some of the liquid in the parcel and you’re done. Told you it was easy.