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Mayo-Slathered Salmon

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Makes 8 or more servings as part of a picnic 1x

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup (75 ml) mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 4 pounds (1.8 kg) wild sockeye salmon (about 2 filleted sides), scaled, trimmed, and pin bones removed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a sturdy sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and lemon juice. Place the fillets on the prepared sheet pan and evenly slather the top side with the mayonnaise mixture. Season with the salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 12 minutes. You want the thickest part just barely firm to the touch. I like a bit of translucence at the center of the fillet if possible. Pull the salmon from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving on a pretty platter.

– Recipe from Sunlight & Breadcrumbs: Making Food with Creativity & Curiosity

Recipe variations

NOTE: Making Use of Castoffs

Artists are great scavengers of odds and ends to incorporate into their work, and I am, too, when it comes to little bits of leftovers from last night’s dinner. Extra salmon’s a particularly useful thing to cook with the next day. For instance, you could make a wonderful salmon fried rice topped with any herbs you have on hand and dollops of chili crisp. Or keep things simple and flake it up with more mayonnaise (of course!) and a bit of finely chopped red onion or chives. I’d serve it on a thick slice of sourdough toast and crown it with some lightly dressed arugula from my garden.