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Slow-Roasted Salmon with French Herb Salsa
This slow-roasted salmon with an elegant fresh herb salsa is wonderful at room temperature, making it perfect for a holiday brunch or buffet.
This slow-roasted salmon recipe comes from the much-acclaimed cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. Samin is also the host and producer of the wonderful Netflix cooking/travel docuseries, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, based on her book. She writes that slow-roasting is her favorite way to cook salmon because the low heat makes it almost impossible to overcook the fish. Indeed, the heat is so gentle that the fish still appears slightly translucent even when fully cooked.
Like with many of her recipes, Samin gives a general technique for cooking the salmon and then suggests variations and an array of sauces that work with it. I chose to pair the salmon with an elegant French herb salsa made with macerated shallots and fine herbs. While the dish can be served hot or cold, I think it’s best at room temperature as an alternative to poached salmon. It’s perfect for a holiday brunch or buffet.
What you’ll need To Make Slow-Roasted Salmon
How To Make Slow-Roasted Salmon
To begin, place the salmon on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt evenly over top.
Slide the pan into the oven, which has been preheated to 225°F, and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, until the fish begins to flake in the thickest part of the filet when poked with a knife or your finger. (Because this method is so gentle on its proteins, the fish will appear translucent even when it’s cooked.) Don’t worry if any white coagulated proteins form on the fish; just scrape them off with a spoon.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the shallot and vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes to macerate.
In a separate small bowl, combine the herbs, olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Just before serving, use a slotted spoon to add the shallot (but not the vinegar, yet) to the herb oil.
Stir, taste, and add the vinegar as needed (I usually add 2 to 3 teaspoons). Taste and adjust salt, if necessary.
Break the salmon into large, rustic pieces and spoon the French herb salsa over top.
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Slow-Roasted Salmon with French Herb Salsa
This slow-roasted salmon with an elegant fresh herb salsa is wonderful at room temperature, making it perfect for a holiday brunch or buffet.
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- One (2-lb) salmon filet, pin bones and skin removed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the French Herb Salsa
- 3 tablespoons finely diced shallot, from 1 medium shallot
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh chervil (okay to substitute more parsley if you can't find it)
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh tarragon
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 225°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt evenly over top. Slide the pan into the oven and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, until the fish begins to flake in the thickest part of the filet when poked with a knife or your finger. (Because this method is so gentle on its proteins, the fish will appear translucent even when it's cooked.) Using a small spoon, scrape off any white coagulated proteins that may have formed on the salmon.
- Break the salmon into large, rustic pieces and spoon the French herb salsa (below) over top. This dish can be served hot, cold, or room temperature.
For the French Herb Salsa
- In a small bowl, combine the shallot and vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes to macerate.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the herbs, olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Just before serving, use a slotted spoon to add the shallot (but not the vinegar, yet) to the herb oil. Stir, taste, and add the vinegar as needed (I usually add 2 to 3 teaspoons). Taste and adjust salt, if necessary.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The salmon can be cooked 1 day ahead of time, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated. The French herb salsa can be made, covered, and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead of time.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 439
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 405 mg
- Cholesterol: 83 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Reviews & Comments
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Only, please use wild-caught salmon and not the farm raised salmon that is in the photos accompanying this recipe.
I cooked it tonight for the first time, it’s a huge hit in the family. Awesome flavours! The best salmon I have had. Thank you so much for making it easier in lockdown when I can cook your recipes this great!
This is so good and a nice change from our usual Asian influenced grilled salmon. Though I made a couple of mistakes and had to make a substitution or two, I’d definitely make this recipe again. Since everyone in the reviews has raved over the sauce, I doubled that part of the recipe. I subbed purple onion for the shallot, parsley and tarragon for the chervil, minced green onions for the chives, and rice vinegar for the white wine vinegar since I had all those items on hand. I failed to read the instructions thoroughly and added the vinegar to the rest of the sauce ingredients. Whoops! It was still delicious. I let the salmon cook longer than I should have, and next time I’ll check on it sooner. I served the salmon and sauce with your cauliflower purée with thyme and a mixed green salad. The next day, I added a clove of minced garlic, chopped rosemary, panko breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese to the leftover sauce and used it as a filling for a stuffed pork loin. Delicious served with leftover cauliflower purée and your asparagus salad with boiled egg and creamy Dijon dressing. My husband and I decreed both meals restaurant quality! Thank you for all you do to provide your audience with inspiration.
Glad you enjoyed (and what a creative way to use the leftover sauce)!
Loved this version of slow-roasted salmon! I bought a fresh 1+# cut of salmon, but made a full recipe of the herb salsa because I had all the herbs growing right outside in my garden (except chervil, have to add that one to my herb garden). Not only is this herb salsa the best thing ever on the perfect roasted salmon, but it is also fantastic on a generous side helping of mashed red potatoes which I get from my local farm stand and a slice or two of warm sourdough bread. I can see this as a great dinner offering with friends, but my hubby was just as happy that I served it up for just the two of us. Thanks again Jennifer for your great ideas.
Hi.
I only have chive, basil, mint and cilantro easily available where I live. What combination would you recommend for the herb salsa?
Hi Zeenat, I’d go with the chive, basil and mint. I think it will still be delicious. Please LMK how it turns out!
I have used this recipe twice, both times it was excellent. I did not make the salsa the 1st time, but last night was a special occasion so I invested in all of the pricey herbs. It was amazing, but if I want to make the salsa again without the investment, which herbs are necessary and which could I eliminate/substitute without a huge hit in flavor? Parsley is cheap, basil I can grow during the summer, but nothing else seems to grow or not get eaten here.
Big plug for Sitka Salmon Shares, a community supported fishery with seafood delivery. All their fish is amazing.
Also, pre-ordered your new cookbook. Can’t wait.
Glad you’ve enjoyed it! You could make this with just basil and parsley. The salsa will still be good; it will just have a different flavor.
So delicious! Slow cooking the salmon makes a huge difference in the flavor and the moistness. The herb salsa added the perfect flavors to brighten the fish. We didn’t have all the herbs but used parsley, basil and chives and it worked. I made roasted potatoes as a side and my son got creative and topped the potatoes with the salmon and a poached egg. Surprisingly it was delicious and would make a nice brunch dish. Thank you for sharing another wonderful recipe.
Is the oven temp 105 fan forced, or would I lower temp a little or shorten cooking? Thanks 🙏
Hi Eloise, It is not fan-forced; I recommend cooking in a conventional oven. Hope that helps!
This was such a good way to cook salmon – it came out perfectly, even though I warned my family it was a very low oven temperature so expect it might be a bit translucent (which it actually wasn’t). So easy to leave in the oven like that and salmon was moist, flaky, succulent – absolutely delicious – and the herb dressing was a hit with my fussy kids who often pick off herbs if left as large leaf format! Cold leftover with flatbreads for lunch the next day was relish too. Definitely making this again – so simple, fresh and healthy. Now scanning your website for what to cook next, seems a fantastic site.
Can you make this with salmon steaks?
I think you could, but they wouldn’t take as long to cook so keep a close eye on them. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!