Oven Baked Salmon with White Wine & Watercress Sauce

Name: Oven Baked Salmon with White Wine & Watercress Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 side salmon (around 600-800g depending on the number of people you are feeding (or you could use salmon fillets)); 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 lemon (juiced and zested); 30 g butter; 1 small onion; 120 ml dry white wine; 30 g watercress; 1 tbsp fresh chives; 1 tbsp fresh oregano ((or marjoram / parsley etc)); 300 g crème fraiche; salt and black pepper; extra fresh herbs to garnish ((oregano / chives / marjoram / parsley etc))

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I love salmon, in fact I think it’s the fish that we eat most in our house. I cook with it at least once a week and so I’m always looking for different ways to serve it. This particular recipe for Oven Baked Salmon with White Wine & Watercress Sauce is a great one to serve at a dinner party. It’s so easy to make but it looks very impressive and the sauce always gets compliments whenever I serve it to guests. The sauce is tangy and creamy and pairs so well with the meaty salmon. I prefer to serve it as a whole side of salmon as I think it looks a bit more dramatic but you could also make the same dish with fillets of salmon instead.

So to start making the Salmon with White Wine & Watercress Sauce you first need to marinate the salmon. Make the marinade by mixing together the olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Place the salmon in a dish and pour the marinade over, brushing it over the surface of the fish so the whole piece of salmon is well coated. Then, cover and chill in the fridge until you are ready to cook it (at least 30 minutes).

Then it’s time to cook the salmon. Preheat the oven to 200°C or 390F. Transfer the salmon to a roasting pan or baking tray and brush with the marinade left behind in the dish. Roast the salmon in the oven for 15-18 minutes, basting once with the juices. Then cool for 5-10 minutes to allow the salmon to rest, so the fish retains its moisture.While the salmon is cooking it’s time to make the sauce. Start by finely dicing the onion, watercress and herbs and melt the butter over a gentle heat. Cook the onion in the melted butter until they have turned translucent and are very soft. Add the white wine and let it bubble up for a moment. Next, stir in the chopped watercress and the herbs. (Make sure to keep some herbs back to garnish the final dish). Finally, stir in the crème fraiche and season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.

Serve the salmon with the sauce on the side and sprinkle over some more of the herbs as a garnish. You can actually use any herbs you have to hand in this dish. I used oregano and chives, but marjoram, parsley, coriander or any others would work just as well. I like to serve it with some steamed asparagus and Cauliflower Mash for a light, summery dish. For a more wintery dish you could serve it along with roasted root vegetables or even some baked sweet potatoes.