This salmon recipe is equal parts beautiful and delicious! Perfect for a holiday main/protein and makes great leftovers. Salmon gets coated in a bright green rosemary and parsley chimichurri and blanketed in slices of orange and lemon that will perfume the whole dish. Serve the salmon in flakey chunks and slather with more chimichurri!
Ingredient Highlight
Salmon! the fish we all love because it’s flaky, fatty and a lot harder to overcook/mess up than other fish. It also happens to be packed with more nutrients than I have space to talk about here. It’s one of the most nutritious fish because of it’s super high omega-3 fat content (DHA and EPA). It’s also a great source of protein, potassium, selenium, and vitamin B12.
I always try to buy wild salmon if it’s available. Wild Alaskan salmon is the cleanest source!
Servings 6
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 40 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 2 oranges (blood orange, if possible), thinly sliced
- 1-2 large sprigs rosemary
- 1.5-2 lbs wild salmon, skin removed (center cut preferred)*
- ½-¾ tsp kosher salt depending on size
For the chimichurri:
- 2 cups loosely packed parsley
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp loosely packed fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- *Ask your fishmonger for a center cut and to remove the skin for you! I tested this with two just under 1-lb center cuts of sockeye salmon, but any variety will work. The larger and thicker the piece, the longer it will take to cook.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275F (low and slow!) .
- To make the chimichurri, in a high-speed blender, add the parsley, oil, vinegar, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed (start off at a low speed and increase to high).
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil into a large baking dish and spread around to coat. Add half of the lemon and orange slices on the bottom in one or two strips (to lay the salmon on top of, see photos). Place a sprig or two of rosemary on top of the citrus slices. Place the salmon on top and sprinkle with enough salt to lightly coat the salmon. Top with 3 tablespoons worth of chimichurri, spreading it around to coat. Arrange remaining citrus slices on top of the salmon.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked through and easily flaked with a fork (depends on salmon thickness, the salmon I used was relatively thin).
- Remove the citrus slices and use two forks (or your hands) to flake the salmon into chunks, arranging the citrus slices among the chunks (I like this best because it’s pretty and easier to serve). Drizzle the remaining chimichurri over top (or keep it on the side, up to you!).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make chimichurri
Substitutions:
- You could make this with any cut of fish, just keep in mind the length it takes to cook.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Leftover salmon: in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Leftover chimichurri: in the fridge for up to 7 days
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Pop leftover salmon in the microwave for about 20 seconds. You want to take the chill off and get it just warm, not hot. Top with chimichurri and leftover yogurt dip if you have it.
- Though you probably won’t have too much leftover, you can use leftover chimichurri on pretty much anything! Slather it over bowls, eggs, potatoes, meats, veggies, etc…
- Make a salmon toast! Top a piece of toasted bread with salmon + a dollop of yogurt or yogurt dip + drizzled with chimichurri!
- Turn it into a salad. Toss some greens in the chimichurri and top with salmon, avocado, and a dollop of yogurt or yogurt dip + some of those spiced hazelnuts if you have some.
Servings 6 Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 2 oranges (blood orange, if possible), thinly sliced
- 1-2 large sprigs rosemary
- 1.5-2 lbs wild salmon, skin removed (center cut preferred)*
- ½-¾ tsp kosher salt depending on size
For the chimichurri:
- 2 cups loosely packed parsley
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp loosely packed fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- *Ask your fishmonger for a center cut and to remove the skin for you! I tested this with two just under 1-lb center cuts of sockeye salmon, but any variety will work. The larger and thicker the piece, the longer it will take to cook.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275F (low and slow!) .
- To make the chimichurri, in a high-speed blender, add the parsley, oil, vinegar, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed (start off at a low speed and increase to high).
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil into a large baking dish and spread around to coat. Add half of the lemon and orange slices on the bottom in one or two strips (to lay the salmon on top of, see photos). Place a sprig or two of rosemary on top of the citrus slices. Place the salmon on top and sprinkle with enough salt to lightly coat the salmon. Top with 3 tablespoons worth of chimichurri, spreading it around to coat. Arrange remaining citrus slices on top of the salmon.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked through and easily flaked with a fork (depends on salmon thickness, the salmon I used was relatively thin).
- Remove the citrus slices and use two forks (or your hands) to flake the salmon into chunks, arranging the citrus slices among the chunks (I like this best because it’s pretty and easier to serve). Drizzle the remaining chimichurri over top (or keep it on the side, up to you!).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make chimichurri
Substitutions:
- You could make this with any cut of fish, just keep in mind the length it takes to cook.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Leftover salmon: in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Leftover chimichurri: in the fridge for up to 7 days
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Pop leftover salmon in the microwave for about 20 seconds. You want to take the chill off and get it just warm, not hot. Top with chimichurri and leftover yogurt dip if you have it.
- Though you probably won’t have too much leftover, you can use leftover chimichurri on pretty much anything! Slather it over bowls, eggs, potatoes, meats, veggies, etc…
- Make a salmon toast! Top a piece of toasted bread with salmon + a dollop of yogurt or yogurt dip + drizzled with chimichurri!
- Turn it into a salad. Toss some greens in the chimichurri and top with salmon, avocado, and a dollop of yogurt or yogurt dip + some of those spiced hazelnuts if you have some.
watch & learn
Useful Videos
leave your comments!