Baked salmon

• 4 filletssalmon · skin-on, about 6 oz each
• 2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
• 3 clovesgarlic · finely minced
• 1lemon · half juiced, half sliced into rounds
• 1 tbspfresh dill · chopped, plus more to finish
• 1/2 tspkosher salt
• 1/4 tspblack pepper · cracked
• 1/2 tspsmoked paprika

Methode

1. 1

   Take the salmon out of the fridge 20 minutes before it bakes

   Cold-from-the-fridge fillets seize and cook unevenly, the edges overcook while the center is still raw. Twenty minutes on the counter takes the chill off and is the easiest thing you can do for even doneness.

2. 2

   Pat the fillets bone-dry before oiling

   Surface water steams instead of roasts and keeps the top pale. Press each fillet with paper towel until it stops leaving a wet mark, then rub the olive oil in. Dry fish, glossy oil coat, then season.

3. 3

   Bake at 400°F, not higher

   425°F and above dries the outer quarter-inch before the middle is done. 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness is the tested window. A one-inch fillet needs about 13 minutes.

4. 4

   Bloom the garlic in the oil off the heat

   Raw minced garlic scattered on top scorches and turns bitter in a hot oven. Stir it into the olive oil first and let it sit five minutes, then spoon that garlic oil over the fillets. You get garlic flavor without burnt flecks.

5. 5

   Lemon slices under, lemon juice after

   Lay the fillets on a bed of lemon rounds so the bottom perfumes as it bakes. Save the juice for the very end, off the heat, because heat dulls the acid and you want that bright hit on the plate.

6. 6

   Pull it at 125°F and let carryover finish the job

   An instant-read thermometer in the thickest part is the only way to nail this. Pull at 125°F for a silky medium; it climbs to 130°F while it rests. Wait for 145°F in the oven and you've already overcooked it.

7. 7

   Watch for the white albumin as your visual cue

   If white curds start weeping out of the flesh, the fillet is squeezing out moisture and heading toward dry. A little is normal; a lot means it's overcooking. Trust the thermometer, but the albumin is your backup alarm.

8. 8

   Rest 5 minutes before serving

   Straight from the oven the juices are still mobile and run out the second you cut in. Five minutes lets them redistribute so the fillet stays moist on the plate instead of on the pan.

9. 9

   Broil the last 90 seconds if you want color

   Baked salmon is gentle and pale by design. If you want a burnished top, switch to the broiler for the final 60 to 90 seconds and watch it the whole time. Add the smoked paprika before broiling so it toasts.

10. 10

    Save the skin, crisp it separately

    Peel the skin off the rested fillet, lay it on a hot dry pan for two minutes a side, and you've got a crisp salmon-skin cracker to crumble over the top or a salad. Nothing wasted.

11. 11

    Leftovers go cold into a bowl, never reheated hard

    Reheating salmon in a hot oven or microwave dries it and stinks up the kitchen. Flake it cold into a grain bowl or salad, or warm it gently for 30 seconds at half power. Fridge for 3 days.