How to Make Oven Baked Salmon with Garlic Mayonnaise
Garlic mayonnaise, or aioli, by its French name, is a sauce that is used all over the Mediterranean on fish, vegetables and meat. At its most traditional, it is made by grinding garlic with a mortar and pestle, then adding in egg yolks and olive oil to make an emulsified dressing. Of course, you could also smash some garlic and throw it in mayonnaise, but the result wouldn't quite be the same. But if you don't want to go through the time-consuming process of creating traditional aioli, you can compromise a little for a quicker result. Serve oven-baked salmon with garlic mayonnaise for a rich, gourmet dish. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Handful of fresh herbs such as sprigs of thyme, oregano and parsley
- 2 center-cut 12-oz. salmon fillets, 1 1/4-inch thick
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 8 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt
- 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- Instant read thermometer
Instructions
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1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a shallow baking dish with a little olive oil. Layer thyme and oregano sprigs in the pan. Rinse the salmon fillets and pat them dry.
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Place the fillets on top of the herbs, skin side up, in the baking dish. Put the dish in the oven and set the oven timer for 15 minutes.
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3
Make the dressing. Place egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and a couple of generous pinches of sea salt in a blender. Blend on high speed until the mixture begins to thicken.
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4
Drizzle in the olive oil in a slow steady stream until the mayonnaise begins to emulsify. Add the remaining oil steadily. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If the mayonnaise is too thick to pour, whisk in a little hot water to thin it out.
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5
Check the internal temperature of the salmon fillets with a thermometer inserted into the fleshiest part of the fillet. They are ready when the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees F.
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6
Remove the fish from the oven. Allow it to stand for three minutes. Remove the skin and using a large metal spatula, turn the fish over, and plate it on a serving platter. Drizzle sauce over the fillets and garnish the plate with parsley. Serve the garlic mayonnaise on the side.
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Tips & Warnings
The olive oil should be at room temperature to emulsify properly.
Do not overcook salmon. The temperature will continue to rise when you remove it from the oven.
Raw egg yolks are not recommended by the American Egg Board. The risk is very small, but if you are concerned, you can purchase pasteurized eggs.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
