Roasted Salmon with Lemon and Rosemary

Here is my simple secret to the juicy and soft salmon, that is melting in your mouth, is crunchy on the outside and is full of rosemary and lemon aromas. The best part is that this method of preparing amazing roasted salmon takes just 10 minutes, and requires only one pan.

I love days when I cook salmon for dinner (I make it at least two times a week). Apart from the fact that I simply love this fish, cooking salmon is just so certain, secure and easy. No stress, no rush, no fail. Easy peasy lemon squeezy 😉 Literally!

I guess I would not surprise anyone that salmon is incredibly healthy. In fact, I call it the three-B wonder, because it is good for your belly (since it helps you too burn fat), brain and for the beauty of your skin. The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish, such as salmon, at least two times per week in order to get the essential fats and amino acids.

Salmon is a very friendly fish and it works great in combination with many different spices, herbs, and sauces. The pretty much only way, one can screw it up, is by choosing the wrong method of cooking. For myself, I set three No-Goes, or better to say three things that can hinder success when cooking salmon.
– Too cold/not hot enough
– Too long
– Too much liquid

So let’s quickly go through it.

• First of all, when roasting salmon, the oven should be REALLY hot. I roast salmon at 250 C.
• Second, overcooking salmon, even for just 5 minutes – is the worth thing ever. It turns out dry, hard and boring. Therefore, I watch my salmon carefully while it is in the oven. 8 minutes is the exactly right time in my opinion (at least this is certainly the time to take it out and to check). Salmon fillets cooked for just 8 minutes stay a bit pinkish inside, juicy and heavenly good. If you don’t like the idea of a slightly raw middle, return it to the oven for another 2-4 minutes (depending on the size and thickness of your pieces).
• Third, even though I love using marinades for salmon and adding wine or soy sauce when cooking it, adding too much of liquid can be dangerous. Too much liquid or sauce means that salmon will not get a crunchy crust, but rather will lose its juices to whatever it is swimming in. So when cooking salmon with this method, I add just a tablespoon of sauce or marinade on each fillet, and it always turns out great.

Normally I prepare a salad as a side dish because salmon is rich enough and, in my opinion, doesn’t need a heavy side dish. Rice is another great pairing. Though rice is carbs, I, completely following the Japanese food philosophy, don’t find the combination of fish and rice heavy. Rather I find it balanced and fresh. This time, I’m in the rice-mood and serve the salmon with basmati rice mixed with broccoli, fried champignons, and green peas.

Hope you’ll like this simple and quick recipe!