Baked Wild Salmon

If you can get your hands on wild fish, don’t hesitate to grab one – what a difference in taste, and all the health benefits that come from consuming wild fish and other sea creatures over farmed make it a no-brainer. Even better is if you can get a freshly caught wild fish…absolutely the best thing you will taste.

You’re welcome to do your own research, but I’m here to tell you that when it comes to taste, nothing compares to wild. And because fish is able to swim freely and feed on healthy sea things (instead of soy and other foods fish aren’t meant to eat), their colour is so much more vibrant and the meat is quite tender and flavourful.

One of the tell-tale signs of summer for me is when I see wild fish everywhere in grocery stores and fish markets. All the more reason to love summer time! I don’t know about where you live, but here in Canada, our winter seems to last a good 10 months out of the year, which is quite depressing when you think about. But, summer is here now and everyone knows not to complain about the heat, no matter how scorching it actually is outside. We’ll take it, because frankly, we know what’s to come.

When it comes to cooking fish, especially salmon, I’m partial to doing it on the barbecue with aromatic cedar planks, however for those of you who would prefer to use the oven, this very simple recipe is for you. I’ve added vegan mayonnaise to give it a rich flavour and the fresh oregano for that added amazingness. Although I am not a fan of mayonnaise by any means, Veganaise is different in that it has no eggs and instead is filled with heart healthy oils that are whipped into a beautiful creamy condiment. So, I don’t feel guilty about using it in my recipes and, if anything, it really enhances the flavour of the food.

And I’m not sure how to otherwise describe how using fresh herbs in your food is so much tastier and well, way fresher, except for the fact that fresh herbs such as oregano in this recipe really ups the taste and flavour of this dish without the need to add more salt. Having said that, if you can’t get your hands on fresh oregano, substitute with 1 tsp dried oregano.

This recipe is crazy easy to make. It requires only 4 ingredients to the most moist and mouth-watering fish you can lay your taste buds on. You’ll literally need a few seconds to prep, pop in the oven, remove and enjoy. Serve with a side of quinoa and salad and you have one of the healthiest meals you can concoct.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 400F.

2. Place salmon on parchment paper on a baking sheet.

3. Massage olive oil all over. Sprinkle with sea salt. I do a nice thin layer over the entire fish.

4. Add Veganaise and massage into salmon using your hand.

5. Remove oregano leaves from stem and adorn salmon.

6. Finish with freshly cracked pepper.

7. Place in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove and enjoy this hot and absolutely mouth-watering salmon with your choice of side(s).

Bon appétit! xo