Description
This Christmas Baked Salmon recipe features a tender, flaky salmon side glazed with a rich honey butter, topped with a creamy dill sauce and a festive holiday tapenade made from dried cranberries, toasted almonds, and fresh herbs. Finished with pomegranate seeds and fresh lemon juice, this elegant dish is perfect for festive gatherings and serves well warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
Scale
Salmon
- 1.5 kg salmon side (skin on, bones removed)
- 2 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Honey Butter Glaze
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
Creamy Dill Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups full fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/2 eschallot (French onion), finely grated
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
Holiday Tapenade
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/3 cup parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Finishing
- 1 pomegranate, seeds only
- 1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 lemons, cut into 6 wedges each, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare Creamy Dill Sauce: In a bowl, mix sour cream, finely chopped dill, grated eschallot, lemon zest, and salt until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
- Make Holiday Tapenade: Heat orange juice in a saucepan over high heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat, add dried cranberries, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain cranberries through a colander and discard the liquid. In a bowl, combine plumped cranberries, toasted slivered almonds, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Salmon: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a large baking tray with double layers of foil for safety, then place baking or parchment paper on top. Place salmon side skin-down on the paper. Fold up foil edges slightly to form a cup to prevent glaze from running off.
- Make Honey Butter Glaze: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt unsalted butter with honey and minced garlic. Once the mixture starts foaming, reduce heat to medium and continue foaming for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour glaze evenly over the salmon side.
- Season and Wrap Salmon: Sprinkle black pepper and mostly salt on the thicker parts of the salmon. Cover the salmon with a smaller piece of parchment paper, then cover with another layer of foil. Fold and seal edges to create a loose parcel; it does not need to be airtight.
- Bake the Salmon: Place the salmon parcel in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. After baking, remove from the oven.
- Uncover and Broil for Caramelization: Remove and fold back the foil and parchment covers exposing the salmon surface without removing it from the tray. Switch the oven to grill/broil on high and move the salmon to the middle oven rack. Broil for 7 to 10 minutes until caramelized and browned mostly on the edges and slightly on top. Avoid placing too close to the heating element to prevent paper from catching fire. Check doneness by prying open or using a probe thermometer; salmon is medium at 54°C/130°F. If no broiler is available, increase the oven temperature to the highest and brown uncovered.
- Transfer and Cool Salmon: Use the foil overhang to transfer the salmon gently onto a serving platter. Slide away the foil and parchment paper carefully allowing the juices to pool on the platter. Loosely cover the salmon with foil and let it cool for at least 15 minutes up to 1 hour before serving.
- Assemble and Serve: Spread a thick layer (~0.8 cm / 1/3 inch) of the Creamy Dill Sauce evenly over the salmon surface. Top with the Holiday Tapenade, scatter pomegranate seeds generously, sprinkle the remaining parsley, and drizzle lemon juice over everything. Serve with extra lemon wedges to add fresh juice to taste. Cut into portions using a cake cutter or similar and encourage guests to enjoy the honey-butter sauce mixed with the creamy dill topping. Best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Use a whole salmon side with skin on and bones removed for best handling and presentation.
- Cooking/kosher salt is preferred; reduce quantity by 25% if substituting with fine table salt.
- Toast slivered almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Check salmon doneness by prying open the flesh or using a thermometer: 43°C for rare, 49°C for medium-rare, 54°C for medium.
- Alternatives: Trout for salmon; bake fillets for 10 minutes then broil for 10 more minutes; use ghee or margarine instead of butter for dairy-free; substitute honey with maple syrup (reduce longer); use spreadable cream cheese thinned with olive oil for sour cream; chives or green onions for dill; various nuts or seeds for almonds; alternate dried fruit for cranberries.
- Serve the dish warm or at room temperature but not piping hot to maintain sauce texture.
- Make-ahead tips: Tapenade and sauces can be prepared 24 hours in advance (keep almonds separate until serving); prepare pomegranate seeds the day before; bake salmon fresh on serving day.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for 3–4 days; do not microwave to avoid melting sour cream.
- Nutrition values apply to 12 servings based on 1.5 kg salmon side with all toppings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 370 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
