Slow-Roasted Salmon with French Herb Salsa
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Want to impress your guests without stressing? This slow-roasted salmon with fresh herb salsa looks impressive, tastes amazing, and couldn’t be easier. Serve it warm, chilled, or at room temp—whatever works for you.
This slow-roasted salmon, a gem from Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, has become a favorite in my kitchen. Her method is simple but brilliant—roasting the fish low and slow makes it almost impossible to overcook. It stays incredibly moist and just a little translucent, even when fully cooked. Like many of Samin’s recipes, it’s more of a technique than a strict formula, with plenty of room to play around with sauces and variations.
I usually serve it with a simple herb salsa—just macerated shallots, olive oil, and a mix of fresh herbs. It takes minutes to make and adds so much flavor.
You can serve the salmon warm, cold, or at room temperature (my favorite), and it always feels a little special, especially on a holiday buffet. It’s great with roasted potatoes, a simple green salad, or roasted asparagus, and the fact that you can make it ahead is a huge bonus when you’re hosting.
“So tender – melt in your mouth. The sauce is excellent. Incredibly simple yet beautiful presentation. My new go to salmon recipe.”
What you’ll need To Make Slow-Roasted Salmon
- Salmon Filet: You can ask your fishmonger to remove the skin for convenience. If you don’t, it’s easy to remove once the salmon is cooked; just slide a thin metal spatula between the flesh and skin when serving.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Used to coat the salmon for moisture and richness, and as the base for the herb salsa.
- Shallot: Adds a mild, slightly sweet onion flavor to the salsa.
- White Wine Vinegar: Provides bright acidity to balance the richness of the salmon and round out the salsa.
- Fresh Italian Parsley, Chervil, Chives, Basil, And Tarragon: A blend of fresh herbs that gives the salsa its bright, fresh flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Prep the salmon. Place the salmon on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle evenly with salt.
Step 2. Roast the salmon. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes in a 225°F oven until the thickest part flakes easily when pressed with a knife or your finger. It will still look a little translucent even when fully cooked.
Pro Tip: Slow-roasting keeps the fish tender, prevents it from seizing up, and reduces the amount of white protein (albumin) that surfaces. If you see a bit (like below), simply scrape it off with a spoon.
Step 3. Macerate the shallots. In a small bowl, combine the shallot and vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes.
Pro Tip: Macerating mellows the sharp bite of the shallot and enhances its natural sweetness.
Step 4. Make the herb oil. In another bowl, mix the herbs, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
Pro Tip: Chop the herbs as finely as possible so their essential oils release and flavor distributes evenly.
Step 5. Finish the salsa. Right before serving, use a slotted spoon to transfer the shallots (without the vinegar) into the herb oil. Stir, then taste and add 2 to 3 teaspoons of the vinegar, depending on how sharp the flavor is. Adjust salt if needed.
Step 6. Break and serve the salmon. Break the salmon into rustic pieces, spoon the herb salsa over the top, and serve. The salmon can be roasted a day ahead and refrigerated, and the salsa can be made up to two days in advance and chilled until ready to use.
More Salmon Recipes You may like
Slow-Roasted Salmon with French Herb Salsa
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- 1 (2-lb) salmon filet, pin bones and skin removed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ 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
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 225°F (105°C) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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Delicious!
Delicious and so easy.
Oh my gosh I’m so glad I found this recipe Jenn! Cooked it for a light lunch for friends and it’s everything you could wish for in a meal, easy to prepare & cook, so tender and moist and the salsa just took it to dizzy heights! Room temperature was delicious, leftovers cold the next day just as lovely. It will be my go to, impressive lunch dish from now on!
I just tried this recipe last night and everyone in my family loved it. One question – any suggestions for what to do with all of the herbs that are left over after making the sauce (which was delicious!)?
So glad everyone enjoyed this! There are a number of ways you can use up (or store) fresh herbs. This article gives some details. Hope you find it helpful. 🙂
Could I get away with using frozen salmon? Trying to limit my grocery store trips.
Sure, Val, that should work. Enjoy!
Try using the herbs, to make prime rib on the barbecue. Make sure you take the meat out of the fridge, 3 hours before cooking. Use a meat probe. Delicious!
Made this for dinner party last weekend, a huge hit! Fresh caught sockeye salmon from Costco , slow roasted with herbs from our garden. Delightful summer Dinner our deck.
Jenn has hit another home run. I have not tried any recipe of hers which was not delicious & easy to follow. Just made the plum galette last evening, delicious , easy and wonderful buttery crust.
Thank you for your inspirational recipes!😋
What a superb cooking method! The slow heat method makes for very moist, tasty fish! The herb sauce is a great complimenting taste. My family liked the herb sauce so much they were even using it as salad dressing. It is so fresh and vibrant tasting. Occasionally my husband will smoke the salmon filet which is delicious. The taste and texture was very similar without the smoke flavor which the family gave great reviews. Makes a great meal or can put out as an appetizer since it is just as delicious room temperature as hot.
BEST recipe for salmon ever! This is truly a ‘no-fail’ method and serving at room temperature takes all the pressure off timing and it is just as good as hot from the oven! Will make this over and over again! Love the salsa and so did my husband!
Simply perfect.
Delicious and easy to make. I tucked my salmon into a bed of fresh dill before dressing with oil/salt. Gives the salmon a wonderful flavor, if dill is your thing!
Delicious, and easy and quick to make if you have a food processor to chop all the ingredients. Mine looked just like the picture!
Wow! This was delicious and so easy to make. I love that you can serve it at any temp- it makes it great for a party. My guest enjoyed it! This was my first time working with tarragon. I was surprised how the licorice flavor but it worked well in the dish.
Yikes. Please pardon my typos!
Hi Jenn
Thinking about making this for a card party luncheon starting out with your spring pea and basil soup. I having trouble thinking of what to serve along side the salmon. The herb sauce has a definite taste. What would go with this dish. Hopefully I can make ahead.
Thanks. I love this site. 😍
Lynn
Hi Lynn, I think some steamed potatoes would be nice; I’d use herbs like chives and parsley, which will pair nicely with the salmon. And you can definitely make those ahead. These French string beans or simple roasted asparagus would also go beautifully.