This Baked Stuffed Salmon is filled with a mixture of peppers, onions, tomato and thyme and topped, then baked with a fresh tomato sauce.
Years ago, I was in a job that required travel to Vancouver on a regular basis. I would stop by the market on the way out of town and pick up a fresh salmon to bring home. This recipe was given to me by the brother of a friend who lived and fished on the west coast.
It is lovely served with Steamed Rice and a nice green salad. The leftovers (if there are any) are wonderful hot or cold the next day.
Enjoy!
Baked Stuffed Salmon
This Baked Stuffed Salmon is filled with a mixture of peppers, onions, tomato and thyme and topped, then baked with a fresh tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter - softened
- 2 tbsp butter - chilled
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes - or 6 fresh, chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp thyme - or 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1/8 tsp white sugar
- 5 lb salmon - cleaned and scaled with head and tail still on, or two fillets of roughly equal size
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tomatoes - sliced into 1-inch slices
- 1 onion - thinly sliced
- 1 bell pepper - seeded, cut lengthwise into strips, and cut in half again
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 3 slices bacon - partially cooked and cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 °F (220 °C).
- With pastry brush, brush softened butter on a Pyrex pan, that is large enough to hold the salmon. Melt 2 remaining tbsp in 2 to 3 quart pot. When foam subsides, add garlic and stir 1 minute. Then add diced tomatoes, thyme, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt and few grindings of pepper. Stir from time to time until thick enough to coat back of spoon. Taste for seasoning and remove from the heat.
- Rinse salmon under water and pat dry inside and out with paper towels. De-bone salmon if it is not already deboned. Combine lemon juice, 1 tsp salt and rub inside salmon. Let salmon rest at room temperature.
- Saute the sliced onion in a little bit of olive oil until it is softened. Combine the onion, green (or red or yellow) pepper chunks, parsley, rest of salt and a liberal grinding of black pepper. Toss together gently., Lay the tomato along the one side of the cavity and then gently but firmly stuff salmon with the onion/pepper mixture. Sew closed with poultry needle and cotton twine.
- Place salmon in dish. With a knife make about 6 slits across the fish, ½ inch down. Insert bacon or just place bacon across the fish. Spoon tomato sauce over salmon.
- Bake uncovered, basting from time to time. In 40 to 50 minutes,(for sewn together filets, it may only take about 30 -35 minutes) the salmon should be firm when pressed with finger and white should be forming along edge. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before cutting into slices.
