Roasted salmon with a crisp herb crust, fennel, potatoes and kale makes for a flavour packed mid week meal. Its fast to put together and cooked all in one pan in under an hour so there’s minimal clean up. What more could you want?!
 
One-pan meals are mid-week life-savers. They require little preparation and once they’re in the oven are low-fuss, giving you time to tend to the evening chores. They’re equally good for entertaining because you can do most of the prep ahead of time. Theres little time required in the kitchen once they’re cooking leaving you free to relax with your guests. My one-pan chorizo chicken is a regular feature on our dining table. This one-pan roasted salmon will be too. Herb-crusted salmon, perfectly crisp potatoes, soft roasted fennel and crunchy kale. Its a really delicious meal.
If you follow me on Facebook you’ll know that this past week I’ve been very distracted. *Shameless plug: if you don’t follow me on Facebook, I’d love to see you over there. You can find The Fare Sage here.* Anyway, I was desperately trying to win a competition by a New Zealand salmon producer for a years worth of salmon. Yep, a whole years worth of salmon! By now you’ll know of my salmon addiction. I simply can’t get enough. And the addition has spread to my children as well. If there was ever a competition made for me and my family, it was this one.
I entered my sushi bowls recipe. They’re a delicious and easy recipe that is just perfect with fresh salmon. Luckily for me this great little recipe was chosen as a finalist, along with three others. I began imaging what I’d do when I won a years worth of salmon. I had visions of Scrooge McDuck diving into his pit of gold coins and treasures, except I would be diving into a giant pile of salmon. Ahhh, salmon.
 
Sadly, it wasn’t to be. My sushi bowls ran a good race, but when it came to the public vote they were no match for a lovely sounding pesto and smoked salmon zucchini noodle dish. Alas, no salmon diving for me. But all the salmon talk and day-dreaming got me very much in a salmon mood. When visiting the fish-monger for some other fish, I was mesmerised by their whole fillets of baby salmon. I could just see one working beautifully in this roasted salmon dish. A 500g piece was the perfect size for dinner for four. And there was just enough left over for salmon on toast for breakfast in the morning.
The delicate fish is stayed beautifully soft and moist during roasting because it was well protected by the herb crust. I left the skin on and that also helped keep the fish from drying out. While the roasted salmon looks spectacular served whole like this, it can be difficult to find at times so this dish would work equally well with individual portions of salmon, or even trout.
The bright and crisp herb crust balances perfectly with the beautifully soft salmon, and the crisp kale and slightly tart fennel cut through the richness of the fish. Brough to life with just a little lemon juice right at the end, this one-pan roasted salmon is a bit of a show-stopper. I may not have won a years worth of salmon but I think this dish almost makes up for it!
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
- 600g new season or gourmet potatoes
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 250g fennel bulb
- 500g salmon, skin on
- 4 tbsp couscous
- ½ cup fresh coriander
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic
- zest and juice of half a lemon
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 100g kale
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp avocado oil
- 1 lemon cut into 8 wedges
- Preheat the oven to 170C Fan Bake. Line a large roasting tray or shallow baking dish with foil, then two layers of parchment or greaseproof paper.
- To prepare the potatoes, place the flour, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, salt and pepper into a large plastic bag and shake gently to combine.
- Cut the potatoes in half or into approx 1 inch pieces. Place in the bag with the flour and give it a good shake to coat the potatoes with the flour mix.
- Lay the potatoes in a single layer onto the prepare baking sheet. Place the garlic cloves around the tray (there is no need to peel them). Drizzle with avocado oil and roast for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven. Slice the fennel bulb into large pieces approximately the same size as the potatoes, and add to the pan with the potatoes. Toss to coat in the oil. Return the pan to the oven for 10 minutes.
- While the potatoes and fennel are roasting, prepare the salmon. Carefully remove any pin bones and trim if necessary. Place the couscous, coriander, dill, garlic, lemon zest and juice into a small food processor or spice grinder. Drizzle over the oil and blend for 30 seconds until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped. Season well. Press some of the mixture between your fingers - if it is still crumbly, add a little more oil and blend again. Press the mixture onto the flesh side of the salmon using your fingers.
- Once the fennel has been in the oven for 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven again. Stir the fennel and potatoes and spread them apart to make space for the salmon. Carefully lay the salmon onto the tray and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Break apart the kale leaves and drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and fennel seeds and add to the pan in the oven. Roast for a further 5-7 minutes until the kale is lightly browned and the salmon is cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and squeeze lemon juice from two of the lemon wedges over the whole dish. Garnish with the remaining wedges and serve immediately, straight to the table.
I’ve shared this recipe over at Saucy Saturdays – come and check it out!
4 Comments
Leave your reply.