I brought home my ingredients before I'd actually picked out a recipe (I know that's backwards but I've been in a cooking rut lately and just wanted some salmon!). I decided on a recipe from my new cookbook 'How to Boil Water' by the Food Network, a christmas present from my friend Becca (who probably should've kept it for herself...haha). I wanted to try cooking the salmon in the oven this time so even thought I didn't have all the ingredients for the book's oven-roasted salmon with lemon-dill seasoned salt, I figured I'd use their technique and improvise on the spices. I read through the recipe and was surprised to see it said to brush the salmon with vegetable oil and then put it skin side up in the oven. For some reason skin side up seemed odd to me but, in the Food Network I trust.
It looked like the salmon & risotto would take about the same time to cook so while the oven was heating I took a few leftover mushrooms from the fridge and sauteed them to add to the risotto. They were plain old white stuffing mushrooms which are cheaper than other kinds but still have a great flavor when you cook them. Other than that all I had to do for this dish was bring water to a boil, add the risotto mix (the brand is Alessi in case you're wondering) and wait. My boss told me that 'the key to risotto is patience' so even though I really, really, really wanted to peek at it while it simmered for 18 long minutes, I didn't. I didn't even stir it when i uncovered it to let it stand for 3 mins per the instructions even though i really, really, really wanted too.
About that time the oven timer went off signaling the salmon was done. I took it out and flipped it over expecting a nice brown crust like the book's picture but was very disappointed. The salmon was cooked but the color hadn't changed much. Maybe I used too much oil? I really wanted that yummy looking browness so I figured I'd just pop it under the broiler for a few minutes and that should do the trick. It did do the trick but it also overcooked the salmon just a wee bit (Ty's first bite like 5 mins. later was HOT).
The Verdict: Even though my quest for crust may have slightly overcooked the salmon, I think salmon is a fatty fish so it didn't dry out or anything - but it definitely retains heat! The risotto was AWESOME, even though I didn't have much to do with that I think adding the sauteed mushrooms gave it a little extra flair.
