Roasted Salmon With Herb Vinaigrette

Have you noticed that not very many fish recipes have graced the pages of Delicious Dishings? I have. And it's not that we don't eat fish. We do. It's just that I usually coat the fish bread crumbs, broil it, and serve it. While it's very tasty, it's not terribly exciting. So my plan is to find some interesting fish recipes to make and share with you.

The first one I came across was this salmon with herb vinaigrette. While we eat fish on a pretty regular basis, we rarely eat salmon. Jeff was under the impression he didn't care for it, and I like it but remember my parents throwing it on the grill and serving it with a creamy dill sauce (and we don't have a grill). When I saw this recipe, I figured it could change Jeff's mind, and I could learn a new way to prepare salmon.

Thinly sliced potatoes laid in two 8-inch square pans bake for a while and then get topped with a salmon slab each and bake a little longer. When the dishes come out of the oven, the salmon gets topped with an herby dressing, which leaks down onto the potatoes too, flavoring the whole dish. A simple side of steamed asparagus easily completes the meal.

Roasted Salmon With Herb Vinaigrette (adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook)

Ingredients

About 1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 medium or 2 small baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped sage
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
Two 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets

Preparation

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush two 8-inch square baking dishes with olive oil. (I used one stoneware dish and one glass dish, and both worked just fine.)

Arrange the potato slices in a single layer in the bottom of each dish.

Brush the potatoes with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

While the potatoes bake, make the vinaigrette. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, and all the herbs in a small bowl or measuring cup. (I love using a liquid measuring cup for things like this because it's easy to pour from.) Slowly whisk in 6 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Brush the salmon fillets with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are ready, remove the dishes from the oven, and lower the heat to 250 degrees. Place a salmon fillet in each dish on top of the potatoes, and return the dishes to the oven.

Roast 12 to 15 minutes (12 for medium-rare).

Remove dishes from the oven, and drizzle each salmon fillet with the vinaigrette. (We actually scooped the salmon and potatoes onto our plates before drizzling the herb vinaigrette on top.) Optional: Serve with lightly steamed asparagus, which is also tasty with the vinaigrette.

What I loved most about this dish is that each person gets his or her own little dish of salmon and potatoes. While I wouldn't recommend eating out of the baking dishes because they will be super-hot, I do think this is a really nice way to present the meal.

Another thing I loved is that this is a recipe made for two. I don't often come across recipes for two, which leaves me to do a lot of halving or quartering if we don't want to end up with a week's worth of leftovers.

What is your favorite way to prepare fish? And kind of fish do you like best?