I can sometimes fall into a rut when it comes to cooking salmon. Often, I simply season with salt and pepper, add some lemon slices, put it in the oven and call it a day. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with this approach, I do like to jazz things up every so often.
It was in this mindset that I came up with this salmon recipe. It’s barely more difficult than my lemon method, but the flavour is infinitely more complex. Packed with lemon, capers and olives, it’s briny and Mediterranean-inspired (and ready in under 30 minutes!).
How to Make Lemon Caper Salmon with Olives
Subtracting pasta and tomatoes, you might find that the ingredients to this recipe aren’t too dissimilar to those you would find in a pasta puttanesca – and that is intentional! I find the saltiness of olives and capers pairs so well with a fish like salmon.
Start by generously seasoning your salmon fillets with salt and pepper and setting them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Set this aside while your oven preheats and you get the topping together.
The topping is easy and just requires a bit of chopping. Start with some pitted Kalamata olives – if you want to curb the saltiness, you can go ahead and rinse these before you chop them up, but I don’t find this necessary.
Finely chop the olives and add them to a mixing bowl. Now, onto the capers. These I do like to give a quick rinse, as they can be very salty and can overwhelm the final dish with everything else in the spread. So rinse the capers, give them a rough chop, and add them to the bowl with the olives.
To your olives and capers, add some lemon zest along with a splash of lemon juice. I also like to chop up a couple of anchovy fillets (even more umami!) and add them, as well. Throw in a bit of parsley, some tomato paste and some chili flakes for heat.
Finally, add a couple of cloves of minced garlic and a glug of olive oil. Stir all of this until well combined.
Spoon the spread evenly over your salmon fillets, completely covering them, before moving the tray to the oven. Cook the salmon until the interior of the thickest part of the fillet registers 50°C/125°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the fillet, about 15-20 minutes.
Go ahead and let the salmon rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Caper Lemon Salmon with Olives
Ingredients
- 300 g (10 ½ oz) salmon fillets
- 50 g (3 tbsp) pitted Kalamata olives chopped
- 2 tbsp capers rinsed & chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- 2 anchovy fillets finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Pat the salmon fillets dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Place on a parchment-lined baking tray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive, capers, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, tomato paste, chili flakes, anchovies and garlic.
- Spread the olive mixture evenly over the salmon fillets. Move to the oven and cook until the fish registers at 50°C/125°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the fillet, about 15 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This baked salmon with capers and lemon is so flavour-packed but still quick and easy to make, perfect for company (or even a busy weeknight)!
Are you after a great salmon recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
