Simple Roasted Salmon with Garlic & Dill

I am always in a rush. Having things on my “to do” list can drive me crazy, so instead I just power my way through them, hoping to leave more checkmarks than spelling errors in my wake. I once had a Nicaraguan co-worker tell me that I need to spend a long time in a room all by myself, with nothing to do. He said I would learn something about myself that I didn’t know before. I remember thinking (and this is still what I think), That would be absolutely miserable.

I have yet to test this theory out (really, I don’t know that I will ever test it out), but I can see where he was going. Take a deep breath. Stop moving. Slow down. Notice the little things. In a way my whirlwind helps me. I can crank out my school papers when I need to, and having always been a focused person, I don’t get distracted. I just buckle down and go. Always being in go-mode, however, leaves little room for reflection. Sometimes, something will happen, like I will run into someone head on in the grocery store, and I will think Woah. Didn’t see that coming! Gotta slow down. I’ll take a few breaths, and try to wind down. It lasts an hour, max. 

Writing is not something you can't rush. When words are pumping through your mind you need to type as fast as you can, but when you’ve already written everything that you can think of and need something else, it becomes very slow. You must sit there. And think. With nothing to do. A few bloggers are pros at this, somehow swirling their personal insights into their recipes and whisking in a dash of something extra. The result is a beefy blog post that leaves you satisfied, the way a good meal does. It takes time to create a post like that. I’m not talking an hour and a good dose of creativity, I’m talking days. It takes far longer to write a blog post like that then it does to caramelize onions or roast this salmon so that is has perfect crispy skin. Maybe, instead of sitting in a room all by myself for a month, I can just practice the art of patient writing. 

Taking photos is also a slow moving process. I mean, you want to eat, desperately, but you have to get the light right, find the right angle, mess with your props. I rarely exhibit that sort of patience. Last week, in a rush to eat, I broke my lightbulb and later, still in a rush, replaced it with a sort of yellow-toned bulb I found at the store. I didn’t realize that it was yellow until I arrived home, when I was ready to plug it in and go. It turned on, and I instantly shuttered: Yellow toned bulbs and food aren’t friends. Being a total amateur, I need all the help I can get with my photos, and that yellow bulb? Not helping. Thank goodness for amazon--mail ordering is great when your in a rush. 

These are the things that are ongoing and difficult for me to overcome. They will always take time, as even the most polished writers and professional photographers will do several iterations of the same piece before being satisfied. (This is my second time writing this--progress is being made!) What is easier for me, is making other changes around here: checking things off of the list and getting it done: I revamped my recipe index so that it’s easy to find things (and hey, it actually contains everything!), and updated the About section of this site. I hope their new state is more useful to you! I would love to hear your ideas on how to make this even better. I’ll probably get to them since, well, I would hate to have anything sitting on my to do list for too long!

Like many good things, this recipe is best when you take your time, though it's very straight forward. Allow the pan to get nice and hot before you place the salmon in it. Patience will yield a flaky filet with crispy skin. And when you’re ready to eat, take a moment to let go of your to do list.

This recipe was inspired by Martha Stewart's Roasted Salmon with Butter

Simple Salmon with Garlic & Dill

Published February 6, 2015 by
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Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 15 minutes



Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
  • 1/2 pound salmon fillet, with skin
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill
  • Salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Slice the butter into several pats and place them in a oven-safe skillet or roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven.
  2. While the butter heats, slice the garlic into thin "chips". Use a knife to cute horizontal slats into the salmon an inch apart. Stuff the garlic chips into the slats.
  3. After 5 minutes, the butter should be melted and hot. Remove the pan from the oven and place the salmon in the butter, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, ad dill. Return to oven. Cooking time will vary depending on how thick your filet is: for a thin filet bake for 8-10 minutes, for a medium filet bake for 10-13 minutes, and for a thick filet bake for 13-15 minutes. Test the salmon with a fork. The flesh should be flakey and opaque. 

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