Slow Roasted Salmon with Citrus Salsa
and a little bit of everything..
2024 has so far been a year for me of change, better yet, it has been a year of adapting, constantly.
For me, DIVERSITY feels like a real tool I can use to navigate these constant changes, whether its food, my interests, the way I move or my emotional wellbeing, with diversity in mind, most things, feel open and approachable, and that is exactly what I need at the moment.
Things change, and we know nothing is really permanent - so for now I am celebrating the fact that I can source, cook and share, with the majority of you, how I eat a little bit of everything these days.
In this recipe, I slow roasted salmon with lots of lemons, oranges, red onions and herbs – it’s such a winner and a recipe that you will cook over and over again! It’s the simple, ‘pop in the oven’ dishes that I love.
A good Salsa for Everything!
This salsa is such a good ‘pick me up’ to add to everything for an extra flavour ‘oomph! Think roasted veg salad, quinoa, slow roasted tomatoes and a yogurt dip.
To a bowl add:
zest & juice of 1 lemon and orange
1/4 finely chopped herbs (about 2 tablespoons each - either/ or tarragon, dill, coriander, parsley)
teaspoon of Spanish smoked paprika
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts (the price!!)
Add enough extra virgin olive oil to make a scoop-able paste and season with more citrus juice, salt and pepper.
Mix & Match
This is the type of ‘use what you have’ recipe that I love. MIX IT UP, use any nuts or seeds, change the herbs (tarragon would work well too!), swop the citrus (blood oranges and limes!! YES oh YES) etc.
A Note on Cooking Salmon
Slow roasting calls for a medium heat oven, my top tip would be to invest in a very inexpensive oven thermometer - it really takes the guessing out of cooking as most ovens are rarely 100% temperature accurate.
White flecks on the salmon is a clear indication that the fish is cooked through and moving towards being overcooked. Meaning, if you like your salmon pink inside, try to avoid white flecks by reducing the cooking time to 15 minutes.
A Note on Sourcing Salmon
Although I would love to eat wild (mostly Alaskan) salmon, the reality is that 90% of salmon we eat, is farmed. I have issues with farmed fish, but I do see the health benefits of eating oily fish and try to source alternatives where I can. However, in South Africa we don’t have much oily fish in our waters, so I decided to limit how often I eat salmon rather than cutting it out all together.
More Sustainable Alternatives
A good alternative would be trout (wild) or if in South Africa – you can try to source from Two Dam Sustainable Trout Farm in Franchoek or Lunsklip Farm in Dullstroom (stocked by Babylonstoren).
The topping will also be great on wild-caught mackerel which you can quickly grill in a pan or over some beautiful hot coals!
Let me know if you can think of any other South-African oily fish that could benefit from this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Even though I am incorporating diversity into my diet, the way I love to eat is still 90% plant-based whole foods, all I did was simply change my choice of protein- but my plate looks the same.
The salmon will go wonderfully with:
Serves 4 - alongside a side
Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
2 (4) salmon fillets, about 500g
2 organic lemons, zested and juiced
2 small oranges, zested and juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion (or 1/2 med one), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
2 tablespoons parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons coriander, leaves only, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons, dill leaves only, roughly torn
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted (pine nuts or any nut, chopped)
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 140℃
In a small bowl combine HALF the lemon & orange zest and juice with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the red onions and garlic and stir well.
Line a baking dish with baking paper (not wax paper) and add the salmon. Add the orange & onion mix over the fillets and season well with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Add the fish to the preheated oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.
While the fish is roasting add the remaining citrus to a small bowl along with the paprika and the herbs and add enough olive oil to make a rough (scoop-able) salsa.
Start checking the fish after the 20 minutes, the fish should be flaky and cooked through. If it's not - add back and roast in 5 minutes intervals. See note on Cooking Salmon in intro.
Remove the fish from the oven and top with the beautiful nutty herbed salsa. Serve with sliced lemons on the side. Enjoy!
Happy Cooking Everyone!
x Adré