Olive-oil-baked salmon with walnut tarator
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Olive-oil-baked salmon with walnut tarator
Cooking the salmon slowly in olive oil keeps it moist and delicately flaky; once cooled, it’s topped with a Turkish-style walnut sauce, herbs and pomegranate seeds for an easy get-ahead entertaining dish
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
561Kcal
Fat
44gr
Saturates
7gr
Carbs
7gr
Sugars
3gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
34gr
Salt
0.2gr
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 x 600g salmon fillet joint, skinned
- 500-600ml olive oil
For the walnut tarator
- 30g walnuts
- 30g slightly stale crustless white bread
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the topping
- 30g walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 x 80g pack pomegranate seeds
- ½ x 20g pack dill, fronds chopped
- ½ x 30g pack curly parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
To serve (optional)
- 2 x 250g pouches Merchant Gourmet Glorious Grains with red rice and quinoa
- dressed salad leaves
Step by step
- Put the salmon on a plate and season well with salt and black pepper. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3. Put the salmon in a snug-fitting roasting tin or baking dish, then pour over just enough of the olive oil to cover the fish completely. Bake for 30 minutes or until the salmon is opaque, firm and beginning to flake. Carefully lift the salmon out of the oil and onto a serving platter. Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes (or cool completely, then cover and chill a few hours ahead of serving).
- Meanwhile, make the walnut tarator. Put the walnuts, bread and garlic in the small bowl of a food processor. Pulse until you have a breadcrumb- like mixture. With the motor running, gradually pour in 60ml of just-boiled water to form a paste. Add the lemon juice and olive oil, then whizz again until combined. Season to taste, then scrape into a bowl, cover and set aside in the fridge; it will thicken as it rests.
- Combine all the ingredients for the topping in a bowl. Spread the tarator sauce over the fish, then scatter over the topping. Serve the salmon with cooked grains and a simply dressed green salad, if liked.
