Author Notes
I learned this technique for making salmon from one of my aunts in Norway. She used pre-made lemon pepper, which works just fine, but I like it even better with fresh lemon zest and pepper. This dish is ridiculously simple, but the way the cream and salmon juices cook together during the roasting time winds up making an amazingly delicious sauce (though it's not the very most aesthetically pleasing sauce in the world). The sweet earthiness of the whipped parsnips is a lovely accompaniment to the sauce, though if it's all too much cream for you, the salmon is also good with roasted potatoes! - fiveandspice —fiveandspice
Test Kitchen Notes
The lemon cream roast salmon was delicious. The sauce was piquant and lively (although, as fiveandspice points out, it's not very pretty.) I couldn't find any parsnips, so we enjoyed the dish over mashed potatoes. I served it to guests who licked their plates clean. - MrsWheelbarrow —The Editors
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Ingredients
- Roast salmon with lemon cream sauce
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1 1/3 pounds
wild caught salmon fillet
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1 tablespoon
fresh lemon zest
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2 teaspoons
freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon
salt, plus more to taste
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1 cup
heavy cream
- Whipped Parsnips
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1-1 1/2 pounds
parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
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2-3 tablespoons
butter
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1/4 cup
sour cream
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salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Roast salmon with lemon cream sauce
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Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse and pat dry the salmon fillet. Place fillet, skin side down, in a lightly greased baking pan just large enough to hold it.
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Mix together lemon zest, ground pepper, and salt, and press onto salmon fillet. Pour the cream over the salmon.
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Roast in the oven until the salmon is just cooked, about 25 minutes (check for done-ness with a fork, the salmon should flake but not appear dry).
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Serve over the whipped parsnips with the cream sauce from the pan scraped/poured over each serving. Season with extra salt, if desired. Accompany with a cucumber salad or another green vegetable.
- Whipped Parsnips
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Place parsnips in a pot, and fill with water just to cover. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the parsnip is quite tender, about 30 minutes.
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Drain, then return the parsnips to the pot, add the butter and the sour cream. Use a handheld mixer to whip the parsnips, butter, and sour cream together, adding more butter or sour cream if they seem too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with roast salmon.
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