Lemon Garlic Salmon Tray Bake

Recipe video above. A tasty salmon tray bake recipe that's as simple as it is healthy. Salmon infused with an assertive lemon garlic marinade cooks in just 11 minutes alongside parmesan asparagus and blistered cherry tomatoes. No stove splatter - yay! Green beans would also work great, or thin broccolini stems (and the florets go crunchy!). Shower with parmesan and squeeze of lemon for an easy finishing touch.

Prep Time 10 mins | Cook Time 11 mins | Optional marinading time 1 hr | Servings: 4

• Unordered List Item4 x 180g/6 oz salmon fillets , skin on or off, doesn't matter (Note 1)

• 1 tsp lemon zest (1 lemon)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dijon mustard (Note 2)
• 2 garlic cloves , grated using microplane (Note 3)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 3 bunches asparagus , woody ends snapped or trimmed off (Note 4)
• 200g/ 7 oz cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes, 1 Aussie punnet)
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

• Olive oil spray
• Parmesan , finely grated
• Lemon wedges or slices , optional
• Parsley , finely chopped, optional
• Crusty bread or toast , for serving

1. Lemon garlic paste - Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Slather onto the top and sides of the salmon. If time permits, marinade for 1 hour. Otherwise, proceed with recipe.
2. Preheat oven grill / broiler to 280°C/525°F or as high as yours goes. Place the oven shelf 20 cm /8“ from the heat source.
3. Prepare tray - Toss the asparagus and cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a large tray then clear space for the salmon. Place salmon on the tray leaving a bit of space between each. Spray surface of salmon with oil.
4. Cook - Grill/broil for 11 minutes or until the salmon is done - the flesh should flake, the internal temperature should be 50°C/122°F (Note 5).
5. Serve - Transfer salmon and vegetables to plate. Grate parmesan over the vegetables. Squeeze lemon juice over the salmon, sprinkle with parsley. Eat!

Notes

1. Salmon - the skin won't go crisp so if this bothers you, just eat the flesh off the skin. Recipe also works perfect with trout, direct sub.
2. Dijon - This thickens the rub into a paste that sticks to the salmon.
3. Garlic - Grating finely makes it mix into the paste better than finely chopping so you don't get little burnt lumps.
4. Asparagus - Ends will naturally break at the point where the woody end is. Try it, it totally works! (But not with limp old ones)
5. Internal cooked temperature for salmon:
   1. Medium rare – pull out at 50°C/122°F which will rise to 53°C/127.4°F after resting which is medium rare. This is the optimum point of juiciness and level of doneness chefs/restaurants will cook to by default.
   2. Medium – pull at 60°C/140°F, will rise to 63°C/145.4°F after resting. A little more done and slightly less juicy.

1. Freezing tip - Slather salmon then freeze in a container with space around each piece, or freeze unwrapped until the surface is hard, then wrap. Then reverse for thaw - unwrap and thaw uncovered. That way you won't lose any precious paste off the salmon skin. No need to marinate before freezing - that will happen as the salmon thaws.

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Nutrition per serving for the salmon and vegetables.