Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
EASY TO MAKE and refreshing to eat on a sweltering summer evening is a salmon fillet, dressed with fresh lemon verbena and briefly steamed in a fragrant bath of pinot grigio. You can prep this chic entree in about one minute; oven time is 20 minutes:
Salmon with Lemon Verbena & Pinot Grigio
Ingredients for 4 people
One 1.5 lb fresh salmon fillet, skin intact
5 large lemon verbena leaves, freshly snipped
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Pinot Grigio (my preference is Cavit)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
Vegetable Spray (such as Pam)
Equipment:
A shallow baking dish, approximately 11 inches long, 8 inches wide, and 2 inches deep; a piece of heavy aluminum foil
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400-degrees; coat the baking dish with vegetable spray.
Place the salmon flesh-side up in the baking dish, coat its top with a thin layer of olive oil and also a sprinkling of salt and freshly-ground pepper. Then arrange lemon verbena leaves on the fish, as illustrated above. Gently press the leaves down. Pour 1/2 cup of wine around (not over) the fillet.
Baking — 20 minutes at 400-degrees
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, and set it on the center rack of your preheated oven. Bake for exactly 20 minutes. (If you prefer salmon on the rare side, bake for only 15 minutes.)
Serving — Transfer fish to an attractive platter, and pour over it any juices that remain in the pan. Serve with potato salad (I like to freshen store-bought salad with minced basil and flat-leaf parsley from the garden), a good crusty bread and, of course, glasses of pinot grigio. You might even float, as I am known to do, a lemon verbena leaf in each glass.
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Phoebe says
I love lemon verbena. I love salmon. I love pinot grigio. Bet I'll love this dish, too!!!
Gregory says
What Phoebe said.
Adele says
Sounds delicious, Kevin. Thanks for coming up with a company-worthy dish that doesn't ask the cook to stand over a hot stove!
Andrew Thompson says
Kevin, I'm avoiding all fish these days, because of the BP oil spill and toxic dispersant.
However, I tried your tip about placing a lemon verbena leaf in a glass of pinot grigio. It changed my whole concept of this wine, and now I can't drink it without that precious leaf!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Andrew – I understand your concern. I'm only buying fin fish from northern waters; but as you implied, the dispersant that BP used (or is using) can spread oil to distant areas.
Justin says
I get salmon from Maine. The problem is getting lemon verbena! I just checked home depot and two local garden centers, none of them have it.
Lisa F says
Sounds delicious and easy. Will the salmon be cooked through at 20 minutes?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Lisa F – Yes, the salmon will be cooked through at 20 minutes. It will not, however, be overcooked!