Salmon With Thyme, Lemon Butter and Almonds | Nigella

It’s not clear to me that this salmon with thyme, lemon butter and almonds from Nigella Lawson uses a steaming method in a parchment package. The approach is similar to that of cartoccio in Italian or papillote in French. During the holidays, a nicely wrapped package adds to the appeal of the dish.

Season both sides of the fish with salt and tuck it into a bed of herbs. According to the recipe, place salmon, together with thyme, scallions and butter, wrapped up like a holiday gift, in a preheated oven. In less than an hour, upon opening the package at the table, a burst of aromatic steam permeates the air. What a treat! Above all, fishes symbolize abundance, an appropriate blessing to herald the New Year 2022, amid the pervasive supply-chain shortages.

Don’t get thrown off by the translucent appearance of the salmon. The oven-steam/roast is a gentle cooking method on the fish, especially for salmon or halibut due to its high fat content. You can’t really overcook the fish this way. The parchment package provides a moist steamed environment for the butter to emulsify and the fish to cook.

However, judging by the white substance on the surface of the salmon (called albumin), there are signs of overcooking. Let me explain: Albumin is a protein that exists in the fish in liquid form when it’s raw, but coagulates and becomes semi-solid when you subject the salmon to heat. To avoid that, the remedy is to turn down the oven temperature (as low as 225°F) or shorten the cooking time.

Lastly, toasted almonds provide the crunch, otherwise lacking from the steaming method. The recipe is complete with moist and gently-cooked salmon, tucked in a bed of aromatics and topped with crunchy almonds. Happy New Year!

Print Recipe

Salmon With Thyme, Lemon Butter and Almonds

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 4-pound salmon, cleaned and scaled, head and tail removed
• 2 scallions, trimmed
• 1 small bunch (about 1/2 cup) fresh thyme
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• ⅓ cup sliced almonds
• Juice of half a lemon

Instructions

1

Heat oven to 400°F (I would turn it down to as low as 225°F and extend cooking time accordingly). Lay out a double layer of foil, or parchment paper, big enough to wrap fish in, and drizzle with oil. Place fish on foil or parchment paper.

2

Put scallions and half the thyme in cavity of fish. Drizzle 2 tablespoons butter over fish, and sprinkle with salt to taste. Wrap fish loosely, place on a baking sheet and bake 35 minutes.

3

Place a small skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, add almonds, and stir until golden brown. Remove from pan, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine remaining melted butter and lemon juice. Set aside.

4

When fish is cooked, carefully peel skin from side facing you. With a knife, divide fish in three portions by making two long cuts parallel to each other and perpendicular to the backbone. Cut down to the rib bones, but do not cut through them. Remove a portion of meat by sliding a spatula over rib bones and pulling meat away; repeat with 2 remaining portions, and place on three warmed plates. Remove backbone and attached rib bones. Cut three more fillets from remaining fish, placing them on plates.

5

Drizzle lemon butter over each fillet, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Pull leaves from remaining sprigs of thyme, and scatter over fillets. Serve immediately.

Notes

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11687-salmon-with-thyme-lemon-butter-and-almonds?action=click&module=RecentlyViewed&pgType=recipe-page®ion=Recently%20Viewed&rank=4