This recipe came to me last week when I was preparing my salmon and I’m so glad it did because it’s JUST. SO. PRETTY!! I definitely have a thing with decorating a side of salmon, and I love how the apples resemble fish scales!
I think a memory a lot of us have of Rosh Hashanah from our childhood is that moment when the fish head was brought to the table and WE. HAD. TO. EAT. IT.!! It always smelled awful and that fish eye just stared at us, as if to say, you killed me and now you’re going to have to eat me!!! I still have nightmares from those fish heads. Nightmares!!!
When people ask for recipes for the fish head, I usually just tell them that no recipe is going to make anyone want to eat it so just throw tons of lemon on it and stick it in the oven! Most of the fish stores have been storing the fish heads all year, so they’re definitely not fresh, and you can smell it a mile away. I don’t know what’s worse, the eyeball staring back at me or the smell coming out of it!
That’s the thing about fish that people don’t realize – it really should never smell like fish! It should smell like the ocean. If your fish smells fishy, it’s probably not fresh and it will probably taste fishy after you cook it. Moral of the story – BUY FRESH FISH. And don’t try and get fancy with your fish head ‘cuz nobody wants to eat it anyway.
But this here? This is the fish that you WANT to serve. It’s the dish that everyone is going to OOH and AHH over. And you’re going to be feel like a gourmet goddess for pulling it off. At least, until, we pass the fish head around!
May we all be blessed to be like the head, and not the tail this year!
Apple Honey Mustard Salmon
2 lb. side of salmon
1/3 c apricot jam
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp Dijon
2 tbsp honey, plus more for drizzling
salt and pepper, to taste
1 red apple, seeded and thinly sliced
1 green apple, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the apricot jam, mustards, honey, salt and pepper. Brush the mixture generously over the salmon. Decorate the salmon by overlapping the apples, alternating between red and green until the salmon is covered. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and honey. Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes, basting once with the pan juices during cooking.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTE: I prefer this recipe served fresh, but if you want to prepare it a day ahead, you can serve the next day at room temperature (reheating cooked salmon tends to make it fishy and dry).
Related Recipes:
honey fish roasted salmon
salmon en croute with creamed leeks
honey sriracha salmon
honey mustard salmon
This looks delicious! Love the honey mustard with salmon. Have you ever used the low and slow method for baking salmon (from the kitchn website)? 250 degrees for 25-30 min (or longer depending on thickness of salmon) with a pan of water in the oven. It makes the most delicious and foolproof salmon I ve ever made. I have a tendency to overcook salmon and since discovering this method, we ve been making it once per week. Going to try it with this flavor combination. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing!
You cook it 25-30 mins per pound?
Hi Chanie,
First of all- we love you. I do your 30-day paleo *religiously* like 3x/year (although it is much more challenging now that we aren’t in Baltimore so some kosh meat products are super expensive/really hard to find). My whole fam is in love with it and we’ve integrated SO MANY of the recipes into our regular schedule. Second of all – question – this year for RH we are trying to cook everything in portions that can be individually plated and served to prevent potential cross-contamination. Do you think this would work on individual salmon portions? Any adaptations I should take into consideration?
Thank you so much. You’re wonderful.
Delicious! Not as pretty as yours, but excellent flavor combo.