Roasted Lemon and Dill Salmon

This dish from Clodagh McKenna was the hit of the evening, foodwise.

A very simple dish, really, and one which had everything to do with the quality of the ingredients used, namely fine, thick fillets of wild Irish salmon. Clodagh stuffed the fillets with dill and very finely sliced lemon and then roasted them. The lemon cooked beautifully inside the salmon and was eaten along with it.

Recreating the dish at home, my salmon fillets were not as thick as I would have liked, so I made cuts at an angle along the length of the fillet in order to create pockets for the lemon slices (to which I also added some slivered garlic, just because). If you have a fillet that’s, say, 5cm thick, you can just slice into the salmon along the length of the fillet in order to create a pocket for the lemon. Also, depending on the lemons you use, you might find that the pith just underneath the skin is still a bit bitter to be eaten after cooking.

You’ll need, per person:

fillet of salmon (around 150g-200g), use thick fillets if possible
approx. half a lemon
approx. 1 tsp finely chopped dill
small clove of garlic, slivered (optional)
olive oil for frying
butter
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper

You’ll also need:

A roasting tin or tins, large enough to accommodate the fillets.

The Steps:

Preheat your oven to 180C
Slice the lemon into very thin half moon shapes. Use slices from the middle of the lemon rather than the top or bottom, which will have a greater proportion of bitter pith.
If your salmon fillets are fairly thick, cut into each fillet along its length, cutting about 2/3rds of the way across the fillet in order to make a pocket for the lemon slices. If your fillets are thinner, you may find it easier just to make a few angled cuts into the fillet along its length. In either case, you want cuts deep enough to fully accommodate the lemon slices.
Insert slices of lemon, some chopped dill and slivered garlic (if using) into the cuts so that they are covered, top and bottom, by the salmon flesh.
Place a frying pan over a high heat and add olive oil to coat the pan. Sear each salmon fillet on the skin side, then place in a foil-lined baking tin. Dot with butter and sprinkle with some coarse salt and a few twists of black pepper.
Bake until cooked through – 15 minutes or less, depending on your oven and the thickness of the salmon fillets.
Serve immediately – I had mine (surprise, surprise) with some new potatoes, which I can highly recommend, while Clodagh served hers with a basil hollandaise sauce and roasted asparagus.

The Variations:

You could certainly replace the dill with other herbs, perhaps some parsley or coriander. I’d even think of popping some slivered root ginger in there.

The Results:

Dinner for as many people as you have salmon fillets