A quick and delicious salmon recipe inspired by our trip to Alaska!
Jump to RecipeWhen we visited Alaska last year, we were super fortunate to stay with the amazing folks at Into the Woods Alaska, and at the end of our stay they invited us over for an Alaskan salmon dinner! (this was pre-COVID-19 times) It was absolutely delicious and inspired me to make a salmon dinner recipe as well.
I am a big proponent of using what is in season and available at my local markets, so for this mid-fall dish we are using fennel to give the salmon a unique flavor, and cherry tomatoes (which are abundant in Davis) with shallots. Thus, I wanted this fennel salmon recipe to be easy enough to make but also timed in such a way that one could do the vinaigrette while the fennel was cooking.
Roasting the fennel in the oven before adding the salmon lets the aromatic fennel to become activated prior to adding salmon to the oven. Once you add your salmon to the center of your fennel circle, you infuse some of that neighboring flavor into the meat. Such an easy yet delicious way to elevate a simple salmon filet.
Because we’re a couple and Kat and I aren’t huge eaters, this recipe is perfectly scaled for two people. But you can easily scale it for 4 or even down to 1! And the vinaigrette will last in the refrigerator for a few days so you can use it on other proteins as well.
I’ll link the full recipe video below, and the written recipe of course! Also, feel free to check out the recipe on the YouTube channel, and our Instagram is in full swing, so I’d appreciate a follow there as well (if you like food and travel photography)!
Fennel Salmon with Tomato Shallot Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Fennel Salmon
- 2 6 oz Salmon Filets
- 1 Small Fennel Bulb (save fronds) sliced
- Lemon
- 1 TBSP Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
Tomato Shallot Vinaigrette
- 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 1 Shallot sliced thin
- 1/4 Cup Basil chopped
- 1.5 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºf
Salmon Fennel
- Slice the white parts of the Fennel Bulb. Season with Salt and Pepper
- Line a sheet pan with foil, brush half of the Olive Oil onto the foil. Layout sliced fennel on foil in a circle with room in the middle for the salmon filets. Put in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- With five minutes remaining, prepare your Salmon Filets in equal sizes. Salt and Pepper.
- Heat the remaining Olive Oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place filets skin side up onto the skillets.
- Cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes, and then transfer to the center of the fennel in the sheet pan.
- Finish in the oven for 3-4 minutes (for perfect medium), depending on thickness, then remove from oven and serve with the fennel immediately.
- Chop fennel fronds and garnish.
Tomato Shallot Vinaigrette
- While the fennel is cooking in the oven, start by halving the cherry tomatoes and add to the bowl.
- Thinly slice the shallots and add to the bowl as well.
- Add 1.5 TBSP of Red Wine Vinegar to the tomatoes and shallots. Toss well.
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Prior to serving, coarsely chop basil leaves and add to the vinaigrette.
- If you'd like, zest a whole lemon and add that as well.
- Serve underneath your finished salmon filet.
Hello! Nice recipe 💞
Thanks so much!!