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Salmon: Salmon with Fennel

Source of Recipe

From "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" by Ina Garten


Recipe Introduction

"I don't mind doing a little work to get a dinner party ready as long as I know there will be no last-minute crises. We have been making this salmon for years for parties and it comes out perfectly every time. Prepare the filling, tie the salmon, and either bake it right away or refrigerate it until 45 minutes before you want to serve it. In a preheated oven, a whole salmon will be perfectly cooked in exactly 30 minutes."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 10-pound fresh salmon
â—¦ 5 cups sliced yellow onions, ¼-inch thick (3 pounds)
â—¦ 5 cups sliced fennel bulbs, ¼-inch thick (3 pounds)
â—¦ ½ cup good olive oil
â—¦ 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped
â—¦ 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fennel fronds
â—¦ Zest or 1 orange
â—¦ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
â—¦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

Have the fishmonger cut the head and tail off the salmon and butterfly it, removing all the bones. You should have about 7 pounds of salmon.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Sauté the onions and fennel with the olive oil for 10 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme leaves, fennel fronds, orange zest, orange juice, salt, and pepper and sauté for 5 more minutes, until the onions and fennel are tender. Taste for salt and pepper.

Lay the salmon, skin side down, on a cutting board and sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Spread the fennel filling over half of the salmon. Pull the other half up and over the filling, enclosing it. Tie the salmon every 2 inches with kitchen string to secure the stuffing.

Place a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the oven for 5 minutes to heat it. Carefully transfer the salmon to the hot baking sheet and bake it for exactly 30 minutes (10 minutes for each inch of thickness). Do not overbake! Allow to cool slightly, then remove the strings. To serve, cut into thick slices with a very sharp knife. This salmon is delicious hot or at room temperature.

Serves 10 to 15