RecipeTin Eats x Good Food: Christmas barbecue salmon

Name: RecipeTin Eats x Good Food: Christmas barbecue salmon
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 1.25 kg salmon side (skin on, bones removed)

Nagi Maehashi

December 5, 2022

Barbecued salmon scattered with festive "tapenade".Nagi Maehashi

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:12

RecipeTin readers love my baked salmon because it looks so festive, is easy to make and can be prepared ahead. It ticks a lot of boxes! This is a barbecue version. The trick is to cook the fish in a foil parcel. No worries about salmon sticking, and no mess!

Ingredients

1.25 kg salmon side (skin on, bones removed)

Marinade

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1½ tsp garlic, finely grated
2½ tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp cooking salt
¾ tsp black pepper

Creamy dill sauce

1½ cups sour cream, full fat (low fat is too watery)
½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
½ eschalot (French shallot), finely grated
1½ tbsp lemon zest
½ tsp cooking salt

Holiday "tapenade"

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
⅓ cup parsley, roughly chopped
¼ tsp cooking salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Topping

1 pomegranate, seeds removed
¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
3 tbsp, lemon juice
2 lemons, extra, cut in 6 pieces each (to serve, don't skip this)

Method

1. Mix marinade in a bowl. Place salmon skin side down on a large sheet of baking paper. Slather the marinade on the flesh side only of the salmon. If time permits, cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight. Otherwise, it can be cooked immediately (see note).
2. For the creamy dill sauce, mix ingredients in a bowl then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. For the "tapenade", heat orange juice in a saucepan until just before boiling. Add cranberries and soak for 15 minutes to plump up. Drain (discard juice) and mix cranberries into remaining tapenade ingredients.
4. To barbecue the salmon, preheat the hot plate to medium high. Place another sheet of baking paper over the top of the salmon and wrap in a sheet of foil double the length of the salmon, sealing the foil on the side of the package, not the top (so the juices don't seep out). Place the salmon foil packet on the barbecue flesh side down. Cook for 8 minutes then carefully turn. Cook for another 6 minutes then open the foil (still on the barbecue) to check that the salmon is cooked (target internal temperature 50C will rise to 53C when resting ). If you don't have a thermometer, just check to ensure the flesh flakes in the middle.
5. Transfer the salmon to a large platter (or just fold the foil sides down). Rest for at least 15 minutes (it's also lovely at room temperature). Slather the surface thickly with the dill sauce, sprinkle with tapenade then pomegranate seeds, parsley and drizzle with lemon juice. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Marinating overnight will infuse the flesh with more flavour. However, because this dish has so much going on in it already, it is fine to cook it without marinating.
To make ahead, the dill sauce can be assembled the day before. The salmon is best cooked on the day but can be served at room temperature, though it is extra lovely served slightly warm. Slather the marinade on the salmon and wrap, then take it to wherever you're going to cook and assemble.
This recipe features in RecipeTin Eats' barbecue Christmas menu