Baked Salmon With Olive and Caper Salsa
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
- 70 ml olive oil
- 8 anchovy fillets drained and finely chopped
- 2.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 1.5 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tsp coriander seeds lightly bashed in a mortar
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and very thinly sliced
- 2 preserved lemons flesh scooped out and discarded, rind finely chopped (60g net)
- 2 tsp mable syrup
- 1 lemon cut into 5mm-thin rounds (130g)
- 1 salmon fillet (about 1.2kg), pin-boned, skin left on
- 200 g datterini tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
Salsa
- 60 g pitted kalamata olives
- 60 g baby capers (or regular capers, roughly chopped)
- 1 preserved lemon flesh scooped out and discarded, rind thinly sliced (30g)
- 20 g basil leaves roughly chopped
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- First make the oil. Put the oil, anchovies and tomato paste in a small saute pan on a medium heat and cook, stirring, for five minutes. Add the chilli flakes and coriander seeds, cook for another minute, until fragrant, then take off the heat and add the garlic, preserved lemon and maple syrup. Stir to combine, then leave to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and line a 40cm x 30cm roasting tin with greaseproof paper. Arrange the sliced lemon all over the tray. Sprinkle the salmon with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper on each side, lay it skin side down on top of the lemon slices, then scatter the tomato halves all around the edges.
- Pour the cooled oil and its solids over the salmon, and press the garlic slices flat against the fish’s flesh. Bake for 17 minutes (or up to 20, if you prefer it more cooked), then remove and leave to rest for five minutes.
- While the salmon is baking, make the salsa. Mix the olives, capers, preserved lemon, basil and parsley leaves, olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl, then add an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and mix again. Scatter half the salsa over the salmon and serve the fish warm or at room temperature with the rest of the salsa in a bowl on the side.