Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times - Mark Bittman [46]
SALMON ROASTED IN BUTTER
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 20 MINUTES
ALTHOUGH AQUACULTURE HAS made fresh salmon a year-round product, wild salmon does have a season, from spring through fall. At those times it’s vastly preferable to the farm-raised fish, because the best salmon—king, sockeye, and coho—has so much flavor of its own that it needs nothing but a sprinkling of salt. But a simple formula of salmon, oil or butter, and a single herb, combined with a near-foolproof oven-roasting technique, gives you many more options and makes even farm-raised salmon taste special. Be sure to preheat the pan in the oven—this allows the fish to brown before it overcooks. (If you start the same fillet in a cold pan, it will simply turn a dull pink and will not brown until it is as dry as chalk.)
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
¼ cup minced fresh chervil, parsley, or dill
1 salmon fillet (1½ to 2 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 475°F. Put the butter and half the herb in a roasting pan just large enough to hold the salmon (you may have to cut the fillet in half) and put it in the oven. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the butter melts and the herb begins to sizzle.
2. Add the salmon to the pan, skin side up. Roast for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, then remove the skin from the salmon (it should peel right off; if it does not, cook for another 2 minutes). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn the fillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again.
3. Roast for another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. Spoon a little of the butter over each serving, garnish with the remaining herb, and serve with lemon wedges.
VARIATIONS
Salmon Roasted in Olive Oil
Substitute extra virgin olive oil for the butter and fresh basil, thyme leaves (2 teaspoons total), or marjoram (2 tablespoons total) for the herb.
• Substitute peanut oil for the butter (adding a teaspoon of sesame oil for extra flavor if you like) and fresh cilantro or mint for the herb. Use lime instead of lemon.
SALMON AND TOMATOES COOKED IN FOIL
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 40 MINUTES
COOKING IN PACKAGES requires a small leap of faith to determine that the food is done, because once you open the packages you want to serve them. This method works well.
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ to 2 pounds salmon fillet, cut crosswise into 4 pieces
12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 fresh basil leaves
1. Take 2 sheets of aluminum foil, each about 18 inches long, and place one piece on top of the other; repeat with 2 more sheets (you will make 2 packages). Smear the top sheet of each pair with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then cover with 2 pieces of salmon, 12 tomato halves, some salt and pepper, 8 basil leaves, and another tablespoon of oil. Fold the foil onto itself and crimp the edges as tightly as possible. Repeat the process. (You can refrigerate the packages until you’re ready to cook, no more than 6 hours later.) Put a baking pan in the oven and preheat it to 450°F shortly before cooking.
2. Put the packages in the baking pan and bake for about 15 minutes (or about 8 minutes from the time it starts sizzling). Let sit for a couple of minutes before carefully slitting open the package—spoon out (the tomato will have liquefied) and serve.
TUNA OR SWORDFISH WITH ONION CONFIT
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 45 MINUTES
SLOW-COOKED ONIONS are good enough by themselves, but when you combine them with the liquid exuded by olives and tomatoes you have a gloriously juicy bed on which to serve any fish fillet or steak. This combination, I think, is best with grilled tuna or swordfish—their meatiness gives them the presence to stand up to the richly flavored mass of onions, creating an easy dish that is strikingly Provençal and perfect for summer.
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 large or 4 or 5 medium onions, thinly sliced
Salt and