Slow Roasted Citrus Salmon with Mango Avacado Topping

Slow Roasted Citrus Salmon

Have you tried cooking salmon low and slow? It's a great way to bring out the natural salmon flavors without the risk of overcooking it. The inside will be fully cooked, but remain almost translucent, and stay very moist. The bright citrus flavors in this recipe make it stand out. Easy enough for a weeknight, but beautiful enough for a special occasion. 

Ingredients:

• 4 Copper River salmon portions (sockeye, coho or king)
• 1 navel orange, thinly sliced
• 2 satsuma oranges, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, 1/2 thinly sliced, 1/2 juiced
• 4 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 medium avacado
• 1 mango
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• salt/pepper 

Directions

1. Defrost salmon by placing entire package in cold water for 30-45 minutes.

2. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 220F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Cut the defrosted salmon from the packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Salt liberally and set aside.

4. Thinly slice oranges and lemon and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Place salmon on top of citrus slices.
6. In small bowl, whisk olive oil drizzle - olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon and orange zest and juice, minced garlic and salt. Coat each piece of fish.
7. Bake at 225 F for 40-45 minutes for thinner pieces (sockeye), 40-50 minutes for medium portions (coho), 55-60 minutes for extremely thick cuts (king).
8. While the salmon is cooking, prepare the mango-avacado topping. Cut the mango and avocado into small cubes, add cilantro and lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt to taste.
9. Serve with rice and top salmon with mango-avacado topping. 

 This recipe is adapted from "Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat" an excellent cookbook written by Samin Nosrat, who claims that slow-roasted salmon is her favorite way to cook salmon because the gentle heat makes it almost impossible to overcook the fish.