This is one of our very favorite recipes — courtesy of Food & Wine! Perfect to make this Valentine’s Day.
What You’ll Need:
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest plus 3 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 (2 1/2-pound) side of salmon
2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
What to Do:
Step 1:
Preheat over to 325 degrees Fahrenheit with rack in middle position. Whisk together 1/2 cup oil and paprika in a small bowl. Set aside 1 Tablespoon oil mixture; stir lemon zest and juice into remaining oil mixture in small bowl. Place salmon in a large baking dish; sprinkle both sides with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Tuck tapered end of salmon under if needed to fit in dish. Pour lemon-paprika mixture over salmon. Bake in preheated oven until thickest part of salmon flakes easily with a fork, 30 to 35 minutes, spooning lemon-paprika mixture in baking dish over salmon every 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let rest 5 minutes.
Step 2:
Whisk together parsley, walnuts, vinegar, olives, and remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small bowl. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using 2 large spatulas, carefully lift salmon from baking dish, and transfer to a large platter, discard remaining lemon-paprika mixture in baking dish. Spoon walnut-olive vinaigrette on salmon. Drizzle fish with reserved oil mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Make Ahead
Vinaigrette can be made 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
