Slow-Roasted Salmon with French Herb Salsa
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Hosting made easy and elegant: let this slow-roasted salmon be the stress-free star of your brunch or buffet.
This slow-roasted salmon recipe, a gem from Samin Nosrat’s acclaimed Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, has become a favorite in my kitchen. Samin’s method of slow-roasting the salmon is genius—the low heat makes it almost impossible to overcook the fish. In fact, the fish stays tender and slightly translucent, even when fully cooked. As with many of her recipes, Samin provides a general technique for cooking the salmon, along with variations and sauces. I like to pair the salmon with a vibrant French herb salsa, a simple mix of macerated shallots, olive oil, and fine herbs that you can whip up in no time.
Whether served hot, cold, or at room temperature (my favorite), this salmon is always a showstopper, especially at holiday buffets. Plus, the ability to make it ahead of time is a lifesaver for stress-free hosting.
Table of Contents
What you’ll need To Make Slow-Roasted Salmon
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, place the salmon on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt evenly over top.
Slide the pan into the oven, which has been preheated to 225°F, and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, until the fish begins to flake in the thickest part of the filet when poked with a knife or your finger. (Because this method is so gentle on its proteins, the fish will appear translucent even when it’s cooked.) Don’t worry if any white coagulated proteins form on the fish; just scrape them off with a spoon.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the shallot and vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes to macerate.
In a separate small bowl, combine the herbs, olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Just before serving, use a slotted spoon to add the shallot (but not the vinegar, yet) to the herb oil.
Stir, taste, and add the vinegar as needed (I usually add 2 to 3 teaspoons). Taste and adjust salt, if necessary.
Break the salmon into large, rustic pieces and spoon the French herb salsa over top.
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Slow-Roasted Salmon with French Herb Salsa
Hosting made easy and elegant: let this slow-roasted salmon be the stress-free star of your brunch or buffet.
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- One (2-lb) salmon filet, pin bones and skin removed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
For the French Herb Salsa
- 3 tablespoons finely diced shallot, from 1 medium shallot
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh chervil (okay to substitute more parsley if you can't find it)
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh tarragon
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 225°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt evenly over top. Slide the pan into the oven and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, until the fish begins to flake in the thickest part of the filet when poked with a knife or your finger. (Because this method is so gentle on its proteins, the fish will appear translucent even when it's cooked.) Using a small spoon, scrape off any white coagulated proteins that may have formed on the salmon.
- Break the salmon into large, rustic pieces and spoon the French herb salsa (below) over top. This dish can be served hot, cold, or room temperature.
For the French Herb Salsa
- In a small bowl, combine the shallot and vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes to macerate.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the herbs, olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Just before serving, use a slotted spoon to add the shallot (but not the vinegar, yet) to the herb oil. Stir, taste, and add the vinegar as needed (I usually add 2 to 3 teaspoons). Taste and adjust salt, if necessary.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The salmon can be cooked 1 day ahead of time, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated. The French herb salsa can be made, covered, and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead of time.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 439
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 405 mg
- Cholesterol: 83 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Hi Jenn, looking forward to trying this next! Tarragon is difficult to find for us right now, what would you suggest as a good substitute? Also would you happen to know if freshly chopped herbs can be frozen for another round of salsa down the track? Thanks so much for your help 🙂
Hi Mel, You can just omit the tarragon. And, yes, you can freeze freshly chopped herbs. There are a few different methods you can read about here. Hope you enjoy the salmon!
Hi Jen! I love all your recipes and am trying this for the first time tonight. My salmon is skin on. Should I try to remove it before cooking or will it be ok if I cook it skin on?
Hi Tess, I’d just leave it on. It’ll be easy to remove once the salmon is cooked; just slide a thin metal spatula between the flesh and skin when serving.
I made this herb salsa for a dinner party. We served it with halibut and it was delicious. Made as is, no changes and everyone enjoyed it!
This was fabulous! I didn’t have chives, so I added additional shallots. I also had a plethora of cherry tomatoes so I seeded, chopped and added 3 T so they wouldn’t go to waste. I am looking forward to trying this recipe as written. Thanks so much, Jenn. I’ve never had a bad recipe that was created by you!
I have made this dish many times. The recipe is easy and there aren’t any complicated directions. In fact, it has become my go-to brunch dish, and it never disappoints. The herb salsa is so delicious, I often double the recipe amount because we are wanting more! Thank you Jenn!
Hi Jenn. I have made this recipe many times and it never disappoints. I have an over abundance of herbs this time and wonder if I could vacuum seal and freeze them after chopping while they are still dry?
Sure, Denise, I think that should work (and glad you like the salmon)!
I have never made a successful fish. This one was phenomenal. It has a better than restaurant quality. I will make this again. So easy but with fresh ingredients. Thank you for helping me realize I too can make a successful fish dinner.
This is a low effort recipe for such an elegant dish. It saved me so much time and anxiety when I hosted a dinner for a small group with varied diets (keto, pescatarian, regular ol’ omnivore). I wanted everything to be perfect, and this was delicious and easy. I roasted the salmon the day before and made the herb salsa the day of, and before serving, I brought the salmon to room temp, broke it into chunks, and topped it with the salsa just before serving. I served it with a roasted tomato pasta, a mixed green salad (also served roasted tenderloin and shrimp). The only challenge I had was removing the white proteins from the roasted salmon. I kept accidentally scraping chunks of salmon off, and I just couldn’t get that stuff off. Thankfully, the salsa covered it all up so you couldn’t really tell.
Lovely meal, so easy to make. My son also enjoyed the meal, who is fussy about food. Love the combination of herbs. We tried it with twice once with potatoes and another time with rice. Both meals were great. Will definitely be having this meal again.
Fantastic recipe! Now my go-to salmon dish!