Slow Roasted Wild Salmon with Mango-Cucumber Salsa Recipe
When I was about 10 years old, I decided I disliked beef and poultry enough that I would give them up for good. I was a pre-teen pescatarian, limiting my “animal” consumption to fish alone which created a bit of anxiety for my parents. The concern was that I wouldn’t get enough protein since I was still growing. Of course I was quite fine since I ate plenty of eggs, cheese, yogurt, legumes and nuts in addition to fish once a week. But I have always preferred seafood to animal protein, even to this day.
Then I met a cute boy in college who asked me out to dinner and I said yes and he took me to a…steak house. Hmmmmm……..A cute boy is a cute boy, so off I went. Ironically, the boy was a meat and poultry-eater, but not a fish eater. Opposites attract, I thought. Or hoped. That night I had my first bite of steak in many years and I actually thought it was delicious. Not delicious enough to turn me into a full-fledged carnivore, but I did continue to eat a little beef and chicken until very recently when I decided, once again, that I just don’t like beef at all and I only like chicken enough to have a bite. After all these years, I’m still a fish girl.
If you’ve hung around this blog long enough, you know that I married “the boy” and I’ve turned him on to almost all fish, except salmon. Once in a while he’ll have a bite to be nice, but he just can’t get into it. We tell the kids he’s “allergic.” But I absolutely love wild salmon and believe it or not, so does Mr. Picky! (“Love” might be a strong word, admittedly, but he always eats it.) We both think it’s delicious and since it’s so rich in important Omega-3 fats and a powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin, I like to find new ways to make it. (By the way, this is not the case with farm-raised salmon. Not healthy for you and bad for the environment.)
Slow roasting salmon is practically the only way I have cooked salmon in the last year. I just taught this method in my classes last month and everyone was so excited it. By cooking the salmon at a super low temperature (250 degrees) for a longer period of time, the fat just kind of melts into the fish and you don’t dry it out the way you might at 400 degrees which can cause the proteins to seize up a bit. I find wild fish to be a little tricky to get just right where it’s still moist and succulent, as opposed to tough and dry. Slow roasting is a dream and results in the most velvety salmon! Plus a bonus is that at such a low temp, you don’t damage the delicate Omega-3 fats. My son says he also likes this method because the house never smells like fish afterwards. It’s truly the perfect way to cook wild salmon!
Like I told my classes last month, this recipe is more about trying the technique of slow roasting and it’s not about the mango salsa here. I serve slow roasted salmon with lots of different salsas (try this one with corn and black beans), sauces ( I like this one with dill and cucumbers), dressings, or just a squeeze of citrus. Since it’s wild salmon season right now, I bet you can get your hands on some fantastic fish. I normally buy my wild salmon during the year from vitalchoice.com which ships it frozen on dry ice. It’s the best quality fish I can find. But starting in May, Grow in Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica Seafood have outstanding salmon and I haven’t been disappointed.
Needless to say, I will not be making salmon on Sunday for Father’s Day, but you certainly can. I guarantee, slow roasting is a game-changer!
Slow Roasted Wild Salmon with Mango-Cucumber Salsa
Ingredients
- For the salsa:
- ½ cup diced cucumber If you use a variety like Persian or Hothouse, you can leave the seeds and skin on.
- 1 mango firm, but ripe, peeled and diced
- ½ jalapeno minced, seeds removed for less heat
- 1 scallion finely chopped or 3 Tablespoons finely diced red onion (this measurement is really according to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped (tender stems are ok)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 24 ounce fillet of wild salmon* leave out of refrigerator 20 minutes before roasting
- unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the salmon on the baking sheet and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat the top of the fish lightly. You can use your hands to oil the fish. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until center of salmon is rare and starting to flake when you poke it with a paring knife. The amount of time it takes to cook the salmon perfectly depends on the temperature of the fish when you place it in the oven and the thickness of the fish.
- While the salmon cooks, prepare the salsa. Mix all the salsa ingredients in a medium nonreactive bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve salmon warm, room temperature or cold with salsa.
Notes
18 Comments
This is my favorite way to make salmon. I am doing it tonight for Hanukah. Any suggestions on a topping that fits more with noodle kugel and latkes? Thanks for always having the best meal plans and recipes.
You could try a cucumber-yogurt sauce (check the poached salmon recipe on site.) Or a salsa-verde with herbs and capers. Last thought is a chimichurri (recipe on site.) Whatever you decide, keep it simple and clean. Happy Hanukkah!
HI. IS sustainable farmed/organic salmon not good? Changing Seas.
Honestly, I don’t buy any farm-raised fish. There’s no regulation in that industry and it’s impossible to certify fish as “organic.”
do you have some recommendations for sides to go with this salmon? It looks delicious
If you just make simple slow roasted salmon with no salsa, you can serve it with anything! With this salsa, you can take it in a Mexican/Latin direction or Thai or just simple summer ingredients. I like it with steamed rice or coconut rice, sautéed corn or corn cakes, grilled zucchini, green salad, Mexican chopped salad, roasted carrots, beet and carrot salad, avocado and tomato salad, just to name a few :).
Hi Pamela,
I found wild king salmon at Costco and used this method last night. It was the tail end and the thicker part was not flaky but chewy. Hard to separate from skin. Is that the fish or did I not cook long enough? Skinny tail part was perfect.
Sally
Hi Sally, I think you needed to cook it longer until it all flaked. Did you take the fish straight from the refrigerator and put it straight into the oven? If the fish was super cold, it might have needed another couple of minutes.
Actually, it was room temperature. I think because it was the tail end and not as thick, I took it out too soon so the tail end did not overcook.
The beauty of this technique is that by cooking the fish at such a low temp, it is hard to overcook it! I hope you’ll give it another try and leave it in until the thickest part flakes easily. 🙂
Love this! Making it tonight in celebration of the fresh Copper River Sockeye I got today. LOVE that wild salmon season is open, it’s one of my favorite days of the year! Does that make me a food nerd, LOL? Thanks for a recipe that helps keep this wonderful fish as tasty and nutritious as possible. 🙂
You got Copper River??? I’ve been calling the markets every day crossing my fingers. I think we should see some around here in the next day or two. This recipe is the perfect way to cook such a special fish. Lucky you!
Have you ever made the salsa the day before?
I have had for leftovers the next day and it’s fine, but the cucumbers release a little (not a lot of) water. But it’s absolutely do-able the day before.
Hi Pamela, do you remove skin before roasting? Thanks!
Nope!
Made this last night, it was the best salmon we’ve ever had!! Loved the salsa.
Hooray, hooray!! Thanks for letting me know!