Honey Lemon Salmon

I think it's good to have two repertoires: a go-to repertoire, and a special occasion repertoire.
It's not the best plan to try something spur-of-the-moment new for an important celebration or when the Queen comes to dinner.

What of you don't end up liking it at all? What if something in the recipe completely throws you off and you end up wasting time trying to figure it out?  What if it ends up being something more complex than you'd like to deal with? What if you never actually read the recipe and realize two late that you should have started making it two hours ago?

Anyway, within the repertoires, it's good to have some variety. While it's good that you have five different chicken recipes, do you have any fish or beef recipes? Perhaps just one of each type of your main mains is good to have if it's all you can handle. It seems better to have that type of variety than a variety of only chicken recipes. Then, once you have your collection, you can make it much more convenient if you keep them all together in one place.

Salmon isn't too difficult, it's fairly easy to find, and can be played with quite easily using whatever you can find. For example, just last night I sprinkled salmon with a little salt and pepper, and brushed it with a mixture of  grainy mustard and honey. It was good.

(Another plus for salmon is that it looks quite nice on the plate with that flashy color- I can't say I'm a fan of a tilapia-rice-cauliflower plate... appetizing as it may be).

This happens to be my go-to salmon recipe.

I've pretty much posted it for purely selfish reasons. See, it WAS my go-to recipe, but I lost it (gross negligence) and have no idea where it could be. I know it came from the March 2008 issue of Bon Appetit (the cover has a dark green background).  This way I *hopefully* won't lose it again.

Since I'd made it many times, I was aware of what went in it, but wasn't sure of the amounts. These are my approximations.

Mostly, I like it because it's a different take on salmon. It's a little sweet and a little savory, and the lemon cream sauce is a fantastic accompaniment. Any sauce leftovers would be great as a spread for sandwiches or with a little gravlax.


Honey Lemon Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce
serves 6
Based on a recipe from Bon Appetit, March 2008


6, 6-8 oz salmon fillets
1 1/2 T honey
2 T finely minced shallots
zest of one lemon
2 1/2 T lemon juice
1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil


1 c crème fraîche (alternatively, you can use 1 c sour cream smoothed with a couple T half and half or light cream)
1 t kosher or sea salt
3/4 t freshly ground black pepper
zest of one lemon
1 T lemon juice


kosher or fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a 9x13 inch pan, whisk together honey, shallots, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Place the salmon fillets top side down in the pan. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes. 

While the salmon marinates, make the sauce. Combine crème fraîche (or sour cream) with salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl. Whisk together, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour so the flavors meld. 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
Line a pan with foil and lightly grease with vegetable oil. Place the salmon skin side down on the pan, leaving marinade clinging to the fish. Discard the rest of the marinade. Sprinkle each piece of fish lightly with salt and pepper.
Bake the salmon for about 15 minutes or until done. Serve with lemon cream sauce.