Baked Salmon with Vegetables

I have been playing in my kitchen with gusto. I was obsessed with making duck confit and cooking for friends. My girlfriend’s brother came from Switzerland and he so appreciated getting a home-cooked meal. I cooked some local dishes for him. One night we had cioppino with local Dungeness crab. Another time, my husband made his famous crab salad. I will have have to post the recipe one of these days. It’s difficult because his dressing is always different depending on what we have in the kitchen. He doesn’t follow recipes.

The recipe I am posting today is one I found in one of my cookbooks titled A Little Taste of France. I was looking for a lighter dish to serve my book club. In the cookbook, the dish is made with a whole trout and I would make it that way if I could find fresh trout. I thought local salmon would be a good substitute. I omitted the cream but added some potatoes to the dish. This is basically a sheet pan dish that is so popular in the blogging world right now. It has a nice flavor because it uses vermouth, a nice French addition to the dish. Homemade fish stock would be great for this dish, but I decided to use Better Than Bouillon Fish Base which was fine. 

I love the fennel and the leeks in this dish. Make sure you buy the fennel with the fronds. You can buy four individual salmon filets or one large piece.  

Print Recipe

The Recipe for Salmon with leeks, Fennel, carrots and potatoes 

serves 4
Ingredients:
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1 ½ lb. salmon 
2 fennel bulbs, with fronds
1 large leek, the white part only
2  carrots
2 yellow Finn potatoes
2 TBS olive oil 
2 TBS capers, rinsed
1 oz (25g) butter 
several lemon slices
¾ cup (185ml) fish stock
¼ cup (60ml) dry vermouth
2 TBS chopped parsley
1 lemon 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 º Fahrenheit (200 º Celsius)
Cut off the fennel fronds from the bulb and put them aside. Slice the fennel bulbs into thin slices crosswise. Clean the carrots and slice them into bite-sized pieces. Do the same with the potatoes. Slice the leek into ½ inch slices. Give it a thorough bath in a tub of water and make sure all the dirt is removed. Drain the leeks in a colander. Put the vegetables on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the veggies with the oil and the seasoning. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop one of the fennel fronds and mix it with about 2 TBS of capers and  finely chopped shallots.

When the vegetables are almost done, make a space for the salmon in the pan. Pour the vermouth and stock over the salmon. Add slices of butter on top of the salmon. Sprinkle the capers, fennel and frond mixture over the salmon. Top the fish  with thinly cut lemon slices. Bake for about 15 minutes (or an internal temperature of 145° F). You want to undercook (not overcook) the salmon. Sprinkle the dish with parsley before serving. 
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Guten Appetit!
Recipe adapted from the cookbook:
A Little Taste of France 
Posted by Sunnycovechef.com

salmon with vegetables for two

fish cooked in parchment paper

crepes with salmon and fennel

You might also like my recipe for fish baked in parchment paper which uses anchovies and green beans with tomatoes, a tasty Mediterranean dish. Or if your are looking for an elegant dinner check out my crepes with salmon and fennel filling. In Italy it is called Cannelloni Ripieni.  By preparing these tasty seafood dishes we can pretend that we are in Italy or France.
​Stay safe my friends and be well.