Simple Oven-Roasted Salmon

My children are salmon fanatics. I don't often prepare it at home, however, because it is difficult in our area to get good-quality, fresh salmon. We usually have to drive over an hour to visit a store that sells salmon worth buying. So, when I do buy it, they thoroughly enjoy it. I prefer to oven-roast it. This recipe is so incredibly simple and comes out perfectly every single time.

There really are only a handful of simple ingredients needed to prepare this. Of course, you can embellish this recipe a bit by using any spices or herbs of your choosing. It's really the method that's worth taking note of here. I keep things simple by utilizing only butter, salt, pepper and a fresh garnish. Your dinner guests will go nuts for this. Leftovers are fabulous atop a salad the next day, too.

Serves 4.



Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh, skin-on salmon
4 tablespoons butter (divided)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Chives, scallions, fresh dill or fresh parsley, for garnish
Lemons, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the rack positioned in the middle of the oven.

Line a 9" x 13" baking dish with foil. Place 2 tablespoons of butter into the foil-lined baking dish. Place pan into the preheated oven. Allow butter to fully melt and begin to slightly sizzle (but not brown).

Meanwhile, pat the salmon dry using paper towel. Cut the salmon into 4 portions. Remove pan from oven. Place fillets into pan skin-side down (leaving space in between each piece).

Generously sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper.

Place 1/2 tablespoon of butter on top of each fillet. Return pan to oven.

Roasting time will depend on the thickness of your salmon and the amount of doneness desired.

For salmon cooked on the more rare and softer side, roast for 4 - 6 minutes for each half-inch thickness. For salmon cooked more well-done and firmer, cook for 6 - 8 minutes for each half-inch thickness. (An internal temperature of 145 degrees is recommended by the USDA.)

Remove pan from oven and serve immediately. Garnish with fresh herbs, chives or scallions, as desired. Serve with lemon slices or wedges.

NOTE: If desired, some of the melted butter in the bottom of the pan can be spooned or brushed atop the salmon once or twice as it roasts. Doing so gives the salmon a bit of a richer, enhanced butter flavor. This is an optional step, however. Furthermore, a little of the butter remaining in the bottom of the pan at the end of cooking can be drizzled atop the fillets at time of service (so long as the butter has not browned too much).