Created by Chef Nicole Gomes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour plus 30 minutes pre-cooking removal from fridge plus 20 minutes curing time
Serves: 6 to 8 as a main course

This is one of my favourite ways to prepare salmon when entertaining many people at home. The salmon is served buffet style and at room temperature, so you don’t have to worry about cooking it when people are around. The 20-minute salting is a quick cure which retains moisture in the salmon when cooked to medium and opaque. My rule of thumb with salmon is low and long for delicate buttery flakiness.

• Bring salmon to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes out of the fridge. Place salmon on an ovenproof dish suitable for serving.
• Preheat oven to 300°F on bake, no fan. Twenty minutes before baking, salt salmon evenly. Let stand for a minimum of 20 minutes. With a microplane zester, zest lemon peel over salmon, then brush with olive oil.
• Bake salmon for 15 to 30 minutes, checking internal temperature after 15 minutes. Bake until the thickest part of salmon reaches 125°F (52°C) or until the salmon just starts to flake in the thickest part. Cooking times always depend on individual ovens and the size and thickness of foods, but as it cools it continues to cook with residual heat. If you like your salmon more cooked, add two-minute increments until the internal temperature reaches 135°F (58°C). You’ll know you’re going too far when white dots of protein come to the surface – that’s when you will end up with canned salmon texture.
• Place salmon in a fridge to cool. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.
• To make Green Goddess dressing, blend all the ingredients in a food processor except yogurt, sour cream, salt and pepper until smooth.
• Fold in yogurt and sour cream. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and chill until serving with salmon and salad of your choice.