Baked Salmon With Brown-Buttered Tomatoes & Basil

Author Notes

There’s so much to love about this simple, summery salmon dish. It makes good use of the season’s bountiful cherry tomatoes and basil. It’s virtually impossible to mess up given the gentle roasting technique. And it involves nutty, always glorious brown butter polka-dotted with sizzled brown mustard seeds, which lend their characteristic piquant, tangy flavor. The mustard-infused brown butter sauce not only enhances the salmon’s natural buttery richness, it’s the perfect counterpoint to ripe, juicy tomatoes that become soft and jammy when roasted alongside the salmon. The resulting combination of flavors, textures, and colors is pretty spectacular, especially given how easily the whole dish comes together. This same preparation works well with other fish and seafood, such as Arctic char, steelhead trout, and shrimp; just adjust the roasting time accordingly.

A few notes: Feel free to reach for brown or black mustard seeds when making this dish. Black mustard seeds, commonly used in South Indian cooking, are spicier and more intense in flavor than brown. You may find you’ll need a lesser amount of chile flakes (or none at all) if using black mustard seeds, so definitely adjust the level of heat to your taste.

As for sides, there are so many good options if you want something to round out your meal, such as roasted vegetables, pasta, or crusty bread for making sure none of the buttery sauce goes to waste.

—EmilyC

Test Kitchen Notes

It's the end of the long workday (or the start of an extra-long week) and we're hungry. Like, "can't-think-straight" hungry. Luckily, Food52 contributor EmilyC wants to do all the thinking for us. In Dinner's Ready, her twice-a-month column on weeknight wonders, Emily shares simple, flavor-packed recipes that'll have a good meal on the table in no time. —The Editors