salmon-with-creamy-cucumber-fennel-salad

Best Dinner Food

Salmon With Creamy Cucumber-Fennel Salad

This decidedly grown-up dinner delivers crispy but moist salmon alongside a creamy, crunchy cucumber salad. Serve the duo with a slice of rye bread for a Nordic meal that’s as elegant as it is delicious. Better still? The whole thing’s ready in 20 minutes or less: As the salmon fillets roast in the oven, you’ll make the surprisingly healthy salad, thanks to a Greek yogurt-based dressing. Look for fennel at grocery stores and farmers markets in fall and winter when the herbal anise-flavored vegetable is in season; this recipe uses the bulb and a bit of the fronds to make the most of it.

Ingredients

  1. 4 6-ounce pieces skinless salmon fillet

  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil

  3. ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  4. kosher salt and black pepper

  5. 1 lemon, thinly sliced

  6. ½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt

  7. 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

  8. 1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds

  9. ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced

  10. rye bread, for serving

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400°F. Rub the salmon with the oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with the cayenne and ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Top with the lemon slices and bake until opaque throughout, 8 to 12 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the fennel, fennel fronds, and cucumber and toss to coat.

  3. Serve the salmon with the cucumber-fennel salad and bread.