In keeping with the salmon theme this week, I wanted to show you my other favorite salmon recipe! This “recipe” I basically just made up based on the ingredients I had on hand – cilantro, garlic, and bottled lime juice in the refrigerator. And it turned out ah-mazing. I am definitely making salmon this way the next time I fix it.
To get a beautiful, fresh garlic flavor in the fish – by the way, I love garlic…can you tell from this photograph? This is about four or five large cloves. I chopped them up roughly – maybe into two or three pieces each – and smashed them with the flat side of a knife to let the yummy garlic juices come out.
I cut tiny slits in the fish, and then just shoved the garlic in the fish itself. I have no idea if this is an actual technique (it’s probably bad for the fish or something) but I wanted to basically give it a garlic flavor throughout.
Then I doused the fish pretty heavily with lime juice. I’m sure it would taste better with fresh lime juice, but this was what I had on hand. I wanted to make sure to use the citrus before adding olive oil, because I was worried that the olive oil would prevent the acid from absorbing into the fish. By the way, there is no scientific basis in this…just my feelings at the time.
Is that weird?
Then I added some olive oil. Judging by this picture, it looks like I used approximately 3.463 cups of oil…but I swear I didn’t. There is only a teensy bit on the sides of the fish, which you can see in the later pictures, all mingled with the fish juices.
I put it in the oven for about ten minutes. Before the fish was quite done, I added some roughly chopped cilantro from my garden (I love saying that!) and stuck it back in the oven for another five minutes or so.
The fish turned out amazingly. It was so, so flavorful. It was lime-y, cilantro-y (I love cilantro, by the way…I would use it on just about anything, if I could), and garlicky. It has a different, less subtle type of flavor than this version of salmon does. This would be served equally well with some rice pilaf or potato salad, in my opinion…it is already so hot in Florida (85°+) that I am looking for yummy cold summer starches, rather than hot food, already!
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I’ll have to give it a try. I like you am a non-native Floridian. I never thought that would happen.
This looks fabulous! Will give it a try for sure!