Baked Salmon With Brown-Buttered Tomatoes & Basil

                                Baked Salmon With Brown-Buttered Tomatoes & Basil 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds salmon fillet (skin on or off)
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 5 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 tablespoon brown or black mustard seeds (see author note)
  
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
  
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  
• 1 to 2 cups fresh basil leaves
  
• flaky sea salt, for finishing
  
• Crusty bread, pasta, or rice, for serving

 

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. On a quarter sheet pan or baking dish, place salmon skin-side down. Season generously with salt and pepper.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and mustard seeds. Cook, gently swirling the pan, until the butter is nutty and browned and the seeds are fragrant and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes, lowering heat if needed. If using black mustard seeds, they will begin to pop once they're fully bloomed. Add red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes (to taste), and cherry tomatoes (dry them well if freshly washed; otherwise the hot butter will splatter!). Season with a few big pinches of salt. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes have started to burst and release their juices. Gently smash them to help them on their way (the back of a metal spatula or potato masher works well).
4. Pour the brown-buttered tomatoes over the salmon, smearing the butter and mustard seeds evenly over the salmon’s flesh. Bake until just-cooked through and the flesh flakes, about 15 minutes (or an instant-read thermometer reads 120 degrees in the thickest part).
5. Let cool for a few minutes, then shower the salmon with the basil. To serve, break the salmon into large pieces, and divide across plates with the brown-buttered tomatoes. Season with a few pinches of flaky sea salt.