Description
A festive and flavorful Christmas Baked Salmon recipe featuring a tender salmon side glazed with honey butter, topped with a creamy dill sauce, holiday cranberry-almond tapenade, and garnished with vibrant pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley. Perfect for holiday gatherings, this dish offers a beautiful presentation and delicious combination of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors, best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
Scale
Salmon
- 1.5 kg salmon side (skin on, bones removed)
- 2 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Honey Butter Glaze
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
Creamy Dill Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups full fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/2 eschallot, finely grated
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
Holiday Tapenade
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/3 cup parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Finishing
- 1 pomegranate, seeds only
- 1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 lemons, cut into 6 pieces each (for serving)
Instructions
- Creamy Dill Sauce Preparation: In a bowl, mix sour cream, fresh dill, grated eschallot, lemon zest, and salt until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
- Holiday Tapenade Preparation: Heat orange juice in a saucepan over high heat until hot. Turn off heat, add dried cranberries, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain cranberries in a colander and discard liquid. Cool to room temperature. Mix cranberries, toasted slivered almonds, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Prepare Salmon: Place a large double layer of foil on a tray, then place a sheet of baking or parchment paper on top. Position the salmon side on the paper diagonally, folding up the foil sides slightly to contain the glaze.
- Make Honey Butter Glaze: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter with honey and minced garlic. When it begins foaming, reduce to medium heat and let it foam gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour glaze evenly over the salmon.
- Season Salmon: Sprinkle salt and black pepper on the salmon, concentrating most salt on the thicker parts.
- Seal Salmon Parcel: Cover the salmon with a smaller piece of parchment paper, then fold and seal the foil envelope around it without sealing too tightly.
- Bake Salmon: Place the salmon parcel in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Uncover and Prepare for Broiling: Remove the foil and paper cover carefully and fold down the sides to expose the salmon surface, ensuring no paper edges will catch fire.
- Broil for Caramelization: Switch oven to high grill/broiler mode and place salmon on the middle rack. Broil for 7 to 10 minutes until edges are caramelized and slightly browned. Ensure salmon is cooked to preferred doneness by checking internal temperature or prying open the flesh gently.
- Transfer and Cool: Using the foil overhang, transfer salmon to a serving platter. Slide the foil and paper out from under the salmon to allow the juices to pool. Loosely cover with foil and let cool for at least 15 minutes up to 1 hour.
- Assemble and Serve: Spread the salmon evenly with a thick layer (~0.8 cm) of Creamy Dill Sauce. Pile the Holiday Tapenade on top, scatter with pomegranate seeds and remaining parsley, then drizzle with lemon juice. Serve with extra lemon wedges. Cut into pieces using a cake cutter and encourage guests to enjoy with the honey-butter sauce.
Notes
- Use a whole side of salmon with skin on and bones removed for the best handling and presentation.
- If table salt is used instead of kosher salt, reduce salt quantity by 25% due to finer grains.
- Toast slivered almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Cook salmon to an internal temperature of 43°C for rare, 49°C for medium-rare, or 54°C for medium doneness.
- Fillet or trout can be used as substitutes with adjusted cooking times (10 minutes baking then 10 minutes broiling).
- For dairy-free options, substitute butter with ghee or margarine and sour cream with thick hummus; use cilantro instead of parsley.
- Salmon is best served warm or at room temperature to keep the honey-butter sauce liquid; avoid serving piping hot to prevent melting of the dill sauce.
- Leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days refrigerated; allow to come to room temperature naturally without reheating in microwave or oven.
- Tapenade and sauces can be prepared 24 hours in advance for ease of service.
- Use extra lemon wedges generously for bright, fresh flavor enhancement with each serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 125 g
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 420 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
