Roasted Salmon with Creamy Dijon
I didn’t always love salmon like I do now, but then I learned that I was overcooking it (and so are most restaurant chefs). Try asking for your salmon to be cooked medium rare and you will notice a HUGE difference in taste. Reducing the cook time transforms salmon from a fairly ordinary fish to pure, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. And one of my favorite ways to prepare medium rare salmon also happens to be one of my absolute easiest recipes. You can have this dish ready to go in minutes, and it tastes like something you’d order in a swanky restaurant. It also calls for just a few ingredients, most of which you likely already have on hand and it’s Keto, Atkins and Paleo, and SCD compatible!
You’ll start with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. The brand you use doesn’t really matter — These are the two I happened to have in my refrigerator. If you’re following the SCD, Keto, Atkins, or Paleo diet, I recommend using Primal Kitchen Avocado Mayo, which I get at our local Sprouts. It’s pricy, but it goes on sale quite a bit and when it does, I buy several.
Mix together 3/4 cup of mayonnaise and four tablespoons of Dijon mustard.
Line a baking pan with foil (I do this for easier cleanup), spray or rub the foil with a little olive oil, and place your fillets on the tray. You can leave the skin on or remove it first. I always ask my butcher to remove the skin when I buy the fillets, because they do a much better job of it than I do on my own! If you leave the skin on, place the fillets on the tray skin-side down.
Cover the fillets with the Dijon-mayonnaise mix. Don’t skimp! The more you can get on each fillet, the better it will taste. Pop the tray in a preheated oven set on ‘broil’ and let them cook for 7-10 minutes. I typically check my fillets at around 8 minutes by cutting into the middle of one, because there is a very small amount of time between medium rare salmon and medium salmon. You want the middle of the salmon to be moist and just at the point where it flakes apart with a knife. If it’s not flaking easily in the center, it’s not quite done.
Enjoy! I think you will really be amazed by just how good this dish is — and I’ve discovered it’s just as tasty cold the next day! Mixed with the sauce, it tastes like a delicious salmon salad, so I always cook an extra fillet or two whenever I make this dish for healthy-yet-decadent leftovers.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 8-10 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 4 salmon fillets
- salt to taste
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat oven to 'broil.'
- Mix together mayonnaise and Dijon on a bowl.
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray or rub foil with olive oil. Salt fillets to taste and place them on the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Top fillets with mayonnaise-Dijon mixture.
- Broil in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Fillets are done when the center is moist and just at the point of flaking easily with a fork.
Try this recipe for yourself and let me know what you think! And if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.
Have you ever used Reynold’s No-stick aluminum foil? Almost nothing sticks to it without having to bother to oil, grease, spray or whatever. (The only thing I’ve found that sticks is stuff with A LOT of sugar “glaze”, like extra sweet BBQ sauce — and usually not even that kind of thing unless you’ve actually overcooked whatever it was on or in.) It does cost more per square foot, but not all that much more and I still use regular (and heavy duty) foil for wrapping, covering, etc.
I haven’t tried it, but now I will with your recommendation! Thanks!
Can you help me with the “broil” part – I feel like I always burn things when I’m supposed to be broiling them! How close do you put the fish to the broiler in the oven? Top rack? Middle? Thanks for the help!
I put it on the top rack in the regular position. The topping will blacken some on top- don’t worry about that. It tastes great and protects the fish from over cooking. The best thing to do if you’re uncertain is to check it regularly for doneness- you don’t want to overcook it. Once you’ve made it a few times, you will know exactly how much time you need. 🙂
Doneness, Not fineness. Damn you, autocorrect! 😂
Thank you! Going to make tonight – I have high hopes that I’ll figure it out 🙂