Salmon is a fantastic choice for dinner as it is both healthy and quick to make, but many people hesitate to cook it at home because it often turns out dry when baked in the oven. While baking it might seem like the natural choice, salmon is a delicate fish, and the oven’s high heat can cause its proteins to release too much moisture, leaving it tough and chewy.
Instead, Daen Lia Kelly, a cook and founder of Daen’s Kitchen, has shared coating salmon in olive oil is the most effective way to make sure the meat stays juicy. Daen said: “Cooking an already fatty piece of fish in high quality fats such as olive oil, makes it impossible to overcook the fish and mess up the recipe. Be very liberal when pouring the olive oil all over the fish.”
Olive oil is one of the key ingredients for salmon as it creates a thin protective layer on the fish skin, which helps lock in the natural juices when it is cooking.
The oil helps cook the entire salmon evenly so it will crisp up properly and have less chance of burning in the oven. It also helps seasoning stick to the fish better so your salmon will be much tastier as well as juicy and crispy.
How to make tastier salmon
You will need:
- 1kg of salmon
- 60ml of extra virgin olive oil
- Two lemons (thinly sliced)
- One tablespoon of lemon zest
- Two limes (thinly sliced)
- One orange (thinly sliced)
- Half a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
- Rocket leaves or any micro greens
- Fresh drill
- Salt and pepper
Daen highly recommends using a flavoured olive oil in this recipe to enhance the flavour, and prefers Rich Glen’s lemon lime olive oil, but regular olive oil works perfectly well too.
She said: “An original flavoured Extra Virgin olive oil will also work beautifully in this recipe.”
Method:
To begin, preheat the oven to 150C, and prepare a tray by lining it with baking paper.
Place the salmon on the tray, then season with chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Then drizzle with the olive oil and massage it into the skin with your hands.
Chop up the citrus fruits (lemons, limes, and an orange) and scatter around the baking tray.
Place in the oven and cook the salmon for 20 minutes or until light pink and crispy around the edges.
Once ready, add the lemon zest and dill to the salmon. Then place the rocket leaves or micro greens and your crispy yet juicy salmon is ready to serve.