As you guys already know, I spent last year I living in Los Angeles. It was an experiment I was running... I had always wanted to see what living in LA would be like, and so I packed everything up and bought a car, and got a year lease in Pacific Palisades. I will admit that I wasn't in the best place (emotionally, spiritually, socially...) as I was going through a major breakup. Less than a year later I moved back to Jackson, WY. So, yeah, LA didn't quite pan out for me, but what I will take with me are the deepened friendships of some amazing people I got to know better and the memories of our shared hikes, dinners, and impromptu costume dance parties (you know who you are!).
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One of my fondest memories is of a very lovely dinner hosted at my friend Ursala's home in Manhattan Beach. She's the epitome of a beautiful, carefree European woman where everything in her life just flows. And her cooking is no exception! Her frig is stocked with a vast assortment of whole foods prime for making yummy meals, and she has a wine frig to accompany whatever delicious creation she concocts. It's a fabulous combination!
In preparation for the dinner party, she asked me to come early and gab while we prepped the meal. I was thrilled. The wine flowed, and so did the conversation, but I kept on eye on what she was doing because I knew I would want to learn from this woman. She really is something extraordinary and her friends say that everything she touches is 'Ursi-fied.' I believe it! Through the blur of a couple tasty glasses of wine, I committed her baked salmon recipe to memory and am pleased to say that ever since my preference to cook salmon has been Ursi-fied! The result is a moist and fragrant piece of fish that melts beneath your fork. I pull this one out for fancy dinner parties when I want to impress and also remain confident I can pull off a great dinner with a small amount of work. I urge you to try this for yourself and make any adjustments to make it your own. Ursala will be proud.
INGREDIENTS:
1. Prep the salmon.
Rinse the salmon and pat dry with paper towel. Holding the salmon over your glass baking dish, pour about a tablespoon of grapeseed oil onto salmon and rub into the fish.
2. Season the salmon.
Place salmon in glass baking dish (skin down). Salt and pepper over fish. Then layer fresh cut herbs. Add a second layer with the sliced lemon or lime rounds so that salmon is completely covered. This will help seal in juices and keep the fish moist. Pour about 1/4 cup of white wine over salmon so that there is a little layer at the base of the baking dish. This will help steam the salmon as it bakes.
3. Bake the salmon.
Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with foil and a clean dish towel to keep in heat. Keep covered for 8- 10 minutes to continue cooking the salmon until it is perfect, delivering a medium rare temp. Serve immediately and enjoy.
fresh caught wild salmon, filleted
2 lemons or limes, sliced into thin rounds
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (or parsley), chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
grapeseed oil
white wine (cooking wine is fine, and I subbed Mirin for wine too)
salt & pepper