Baked whole salmon with green herb mayonnaise
Cooking a whole fish is easier than you might think and this recipe is packed with flavour
How long will it take?
1 hour
What’s the serving size?
Serves 4 to 6
What do I need?
For the Salmon
- 1 whole salmon
- 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 lemon thinly sliced
- 6 - 8 sprigs fresh dill
- 4 - 6 springs fresh parsley
- 4 - 6 cloves garlic, peeled
For the Green Herb Mayonnaise
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 1 clove garlic
- 275ml olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 75g fresh spinach leaves
- 40g flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
How do I make it?
- First make the mayonnaise by breaking eggs straight into a food processor or blender, sprinkling in the mustard and the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Add oil in a thin, steady trickle. When all the oil is in, add the white wine vinegar and blend. Switch off the blender and add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat oven to 220C.
- Use paper towels to pat the fish dry, inside and out, then place it on a foil lined baking tray and drizzle inside and out with olive oil.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the fish, inside and out.
- Stuff the inside of the fish with lemon slices, dill, garlic, parsley and garlic, then tie the fish closed using kitchen twine.
- Roast in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes, until it has an internal temperature of 60C in the thickest part of the fish. If the fish is large you will need to allow longer cooking time.
- Turn the oven onto the grill setting and move the fish up to the top third of the oven.
- Grill for 3 - 5 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crispy, but not burnt.
- Cut the twine and remove the lemon and herbs from inside the fish.
- Serve and enjoy!
