Salmon With Thyme, Lemon Butter and Almonds

By Nigella Lawson

Updated June 10, 2024

Salmon With Thyme, Lemon Butter and Almonds
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(324)
Notes
Read community notes

Even seasoned cooks can be anxious about cooking fish, but nothing could be simpler than oiling a large piece of foil, setting the fish on it and then pressing a few scallions and some thyme into the cavity. Wrap it all into a tightly sealed parcel, put it on a baking sheet and roast it. In truth, any fish can be cooked like this, and you can play around with the herbs, depending on what is available. This is a very good-natured recipe.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 1tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 14-pound salmon, cleaned and scaled, head and tail removed
  • 2scallions, trimmed
  • 1small bunch (about ½ cup) fresh thyme
  • 6tablespoons melted butter
  • 1tablespoon sea salt
  • ⅓cup sliced almonds
  • Juice of half a lemon
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

787 calories; 57 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 63 grams protein; 783 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out a double layer of foil big enough to wrap fish in, and drizzle with oil. Place fish on foil. Put scallions and half the thyme in cavity of fish. Drizzle 2 tablespoons butter over fish, and sprinkle with salt to taste. Wrap fish loosely, place on a baking sheet and bake 35 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Place a small skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, add almonds, and stir until golden brown. Remove from pan, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine remaining melted butter and lemon juice; set aside.

  3. Step 3

    When fish is cooked, carefully peel skin from side facing you. With a knife, divide fish in three portions by making two long cuts parallel to each other and perpendicular to the backbone. Cut down to the rib bones, but do not cut through them. Remove a portion of meat by sliding a spatula over rib bones and pulling meat away; repeat with 2 remaining portions, and place on three warmed plates. Remove backbone and attached rib bones. Cut three more fillets from remaining fish, placing them on plates.

  4. Step 4

    Drizzle lemon butter over each fillet, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Pull leaves from remaining sprigs of thyme, and scatter over fillets. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
324 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

krae

Yes . Works well with a filet. I cooked it with a 1.5# thick filet tonight. Very good. Took 25-30 min

brcooks

Salmon is my #1 favorite food....but dealing with a whole salmon-not so much. Seems like this could work on a fresh salmon fillet, or is this wishful thinking?

Jean

Bake almonds in oven with salmon last 10 min or so to save active work time. The browned almonds elevate this dish to sensational! I used 2# filets and baked only 10 min.

NLC

Parchment paper would work.

Rachel S.

Delicious! Used a filet, cooked 20 minutes with olive oil, butter, fresh thyme, and lemon. Added sliced almonds at 10 minutes. Perfect! Served with sautéed greens.

Larry Bramble

krae 4 months ago
Yes . Works well with a filet. I cooked it with a 1.5# thick filet tonight. Very good. Took 25-30 min

SUSANNE

We Alaskans never bother to remove fish scales-BIG waste of time! They usually do not stick to the flesh side. However we are spoiled with very fresh caught fish.

Rick T

Followed others' lead and prepared with fillet portions. Sprinckled fresh thyme leaves and scallions on fish before wrapping. 25 minutes and the fish was perfectly cooked. Doing it this way turns the dish into a weeknight meal where messing with a whole stuffed salmon would have been too much. BTW, learn the difference between "fillet" and "filet," folks!

Laura Dely

I live alone, so I made this with a single, trimmed piece of salmon and adjusted everything for four ounces of fish. It was delicious!

Wiley

We followed the comments of others, and used this recipe for 2 fillets in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Used extra scallions, and less butter, but our key alteration was the addition of cherry tomatoes to the roasting packets. We served this over spinach and it was really tasty.

Allyson

I changed up the cooking method since I only had filets, but kept the ingredients the same. I wrapped each salmon filet in parchment paper with some lemon slices, thyme sprigs, scallions, and a small pat of butter, then cooked them at 375 for 10 minutes, and they turned out perfect. Added the toasted almonds and melted lemon butter once I took them out of the oven. I might try adding a splash of fish sauce to the lemon butter next time, since the dish seemed to be missing something.

Kevin

I use this during salmon snagging season in New Mexico. We add a pinch (or more) of Chimayo red chile powder just for good measure. The almonds add a nice twist.

Cass

Cooked this last night with defrosted sockeye filets. Used lemon-thyme and scallions. Excellent dinner. 20-25 minutes.

bobbie

Wonderful, quick and a lovely presentation with fillets. added lemon zest on top, and toasted the almonds as suggested by another reader. I used less thyme (as I only had about 1 lb. of fish) Cooked fillets at 400 for about 20-25 minutes. Will happily serve this to company!

SUSANNE

We Alaskans never bother to remove fish scales-BIG waste of time! They usually do not stick to the flesh side. However we are spoiled with very fresh caught fish.

Rachel S.

Delicious! Used a filet, cooked 20 minutes with olive oil, butter, fresh thyme, and lemon. Added sliced almonds at 10 minutes. Perfect! Served with sautéed greens.

Nancy

Alternative to using foil? I won't cook with it anymore.

NLC

Parchment paper would work.

Jean

Bake almonds in oven with salmon last 10 min or so to save active work time. The browned almonds elevate this dish to sensational! I used 2# filets and baked only 10 min.

Jean

Bake almonds in oven with salmon last 10 min or so to save active work time. The browned almonds elevate this dish to sensational! I used 2# filets and baked only 10 min.

Larry Bramble

krae 4 months ago
Yes . Works well with a filet. I cooked it with a 1.5# thick filet tonight. Very good. Took 25-30 min

krae

Yes . Works well with a filet. I cooked it with a 1.5# thick filet tonight. Very good. Took 25-30 min

brcooks

Salmon is my #1 favorite food....but dealing with a whole salmon-not so much. Seems like this could work on a fresh salmon fillet, or is this wishful thinking?

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