Slow-roasted salmon and white beans

With a zesty cornichon relish

Hello! Welcome back! Skip all the rambling and scroll right to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.

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As someone who makes food for a living, I often struggle quite a bit with what to cook for dinner. Sometimes it feels like all my creative cooking energy goes towards thinking up recipes to share with you all and, once those have been made and devoured, I’m left standing in front of the open pantry and refrigerator, begging what’s inside to give me something, anything — hopefully, with not a lot of effort involved.

Generally, in these cases, I turn to a mostly pantry meal. Something that uses up a can of this or jar of that, usually with the addition of something fresh like a protein, salad, or even just a sprinkle of the few herbs I have left. They’re pasta, rice, and bean-forward dishes, and they always end up being the favorites among both the adults and the picky toddler.

Today’s recipe is one of those: slow-roasted salmon and white beans with a bright, mustardy cornichon and dill relish that packs a punch and cuts right through the richness of the dish. You likely have most of the ingredients on hand, and the only “fresh” things involved are a hunk of salmon and some dill. It’s a winner and I cannot wait for you to make it. And bonus: I think it would make a fantastic Easter main.

Tell me more

If you’ve never had slow-roasted salmon before, you’re in for a treat. This method involves bathing your fish in olive oil (like, a lot of olive oil) and cooking it low and slow in the oven. The olive oil gently bubbles up and cooks the fish, resulting in a juicy, tender filet that’s almost impossible to mess up.

This recipe also adds a can of white beans to the mix. I was inspired by Clare de Boer’s creamy chicken and noodles recipe that uses the runoff juices from a roast chicken to cook pasta all in one go. (P.S.: if you don’t subscribe to Clare’s Substack, The Best Bit, it’s an absolute must). I loved that she used the liquid that might otherwise go to waste to cook something else, at the same time — genius! As the beans take a relaxing soak in their olive oil hot tub, they get luxuriously creamy and soft. It might be my new favorite way to jazz up a can of beans.

Lastly, there’s the relish. I love eating my salmon with a dollop of dijon and maybe a cornichon or ten, and this incorporates both of those plus more. Along with lemon juice, shallots, and dill, these ingredients come together to create a zesty sauce that’s the perfect complement to the richness of the salmon and beans. It’s a match made in taste bud heaven.

Before you start

• I like to use a skinless salmon filet here, but you can use skin-on in a pinch.

• I know it’s a lot of oil and you may feel inclined to use the not-so-great stuff, but trust me when I say that a good extra virgin olive oil makes all the difference in flavor. You’ll really be able to taste those peppery, grassy notes in every bite.

• If you do not have an 11 x 7 baking dish, feel free to use a 9 x 13. You might want to add a drizzle or two more olive oil to submerge the beans and fish a bit more (though they don’t need to be fully submerged).

The recipe

Note: recipe videos are posted on my Instagram.

Serves: 2

Cook time: 45 minutes (15 min active)

Special tools:

• an 11 x 7 inch baking dish

Ingredients: