salmon bake

Salmon baked with potatoes and tomatoes

A one-pot family-style salmon meal of wholesome, healthy and summery-tasty food.

“Iodine, salt and gentle sea breeze. The bounty of the ocean on your plate. Flavours full of sea and sun, delicate yet distinct. Whether charcoal-grilled, fried in sizzling olive oil or oven roasted – with the pungency of tomatoes, the tang of onions and a classic accompaniment of rice – fish and other sea-food dishes are the heart and soul of any seaside Taverna. Strong in character and rich in diversity, these dishes are capable of instantly bringing the Greek summer into the darkest days of winter, no matter where in the world you might be.”My Greek Taverna by Ioanna Pavlaki and Makis Georgiadis

Salmon baked with potatoes and tomatoes
(Psari ala Spetsiota/in the style of the beautiful island of Spetses)

A one-pot family-style salmon meal of wholesome, healthy and summery-tasty food. This recipe uses salmon, or can also be used with any large fish that can be cut into thick slices. Although, it is especially good with salmon!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

2 onions, finely sliced. 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

8 tablespoon extra olive oil

120 ml dry white wine

4 thick slice salmon

2 tomatoes, finely sliced

½ bunch parsley, finely chopped

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1 – Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper and put them in a large deep baking tray, with the onion slices and garlic on top. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper and drizzle with half of the olive oil plus the white wine.

2 – Cover the tray with baking paper and aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for approximately 20 minutes, until tender.

3 – Take the pan out of the oven, uncover, and place the salmon on top of the potatoes and onions. Layer the tomato slices over the salmon, add a little salt, the rest of the olive oil, lemon juice and zest and continue cooking for 30 more minutes until the salmon is baked.

4 – Serve each slice of salmon with potatoes and onions and sprinkle with parsley.

The amazing health benefits of salmonWith so much focus on the amazing omega-3 benefits of salmon, other unique health benefits from salmon may have been inadvertently overlooked. One fascinating new area of health benefits involves the protein and amino acid content of salmon. Several recent studies have found that salmon contains small bioactive protein molecules (called bioactive peptides) that may provide special support for joint cartilage, insulin effectiveness, and control of inflammation in the digestive tract. One particular bioactive peptide called calcitonin (sCT) has been of special interest in these studies. The reason is because a human form of calcitonin is made by the thyroid gland, and we all know that it is a key hormone for helping regulate and stabilize the balance of collagen and minerals in the bone and surrounding tissue. As researchers learn more and more about salmon peptides—including sCT—expect to see more and more potential health benefits discovered related to inflammation, including inflammation of the joints. – The World’s Healthiest Foods website.