Wednesday, June 22, 2011

This summer's favourite fish dish - grilled salmon in balsamic marinade

Grilled salmon in balsamic marinade / Grillitud lõhe palsamiäädikamarinaadis

This is my favourite fish dish this summer (and spring). I've made it on several occasions already and will make another one today for our Midsummer Night party tomorrow night. The idea is so simple and yet so brilliant - you bake/grill/roast the fish fillet (both salmon and trout are fine), then pour the marinade over hot fish, and stuck it in the fridge to marinate and cool. Then, when the guests arrive, you simply take the fish out of the fridge and serve. You can even prepare the fish on the previous night, so there's no need to switch on the oven in the middle of a hot summer day.

The recipe is slightly adapted from a Finnish women's magazine Anna (autumn/winter 2010 issue; Balsamicolohi) - yet another excellent recipe idea I've found while browsing those magazine issues at the beauty salon :) I've stuck with the original flavour combination - balsamic vinegar, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and chives, but feel free to come up with your own favourite marinade.

Grilled salmon in balsamic marinade
(Grillitud lõhe palsamiäädikamarinaadis)
Serves 6 to 8

Trout

800 g salmon or trout fillet, skin on
sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for brushing

Balsamic marinade:
4 Tbsp nice balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil (from the sun-dried tomato jar, preferably)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
3-4 Tbsp finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (preserved in oil)
3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

Take a suitably sized oven tray* and brush it slightly with oil. Place the fish on the tray, season with sea salt and black pepper. Bake in the middle of 225 C oven until done (it'll take about 15-20 minutes, at the most, depending on the thickness of the fish.)
Mix balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and drizzle on a hot fish fillet.
Mix the sun-dried tomatoes, capers and chives, spread evenly over the fish.
Place into a fridge for at least 2 hours to marinate.

* I love using my Iittala Teema rectangular tray for this (sized 16x37 cm) - I cook the salmon on that tray, and then use it for serving later on as well.

3 comments:

masini second said...

Ohh i just love grilled salmon and with balsamic marinade on it i`m sure that is delicious. I think it is not a very easy recipe but i will give it a try, thanks a lot for sharing.

Meeta K. Wolff said...

I adore salmon and this version looks simply wonderful. The flavor combination really are screaming out to me to make this. The weather promises to be good this weekend and I think we can get the grill out to do this. Hope you are well Pille?

Pille said...

Masini - ta'

Meeta - it's an excellent way to cook both salmon and trout, and excellent for the summer.. I'd love a few tips on how to take a decent photo of this, however!!!