Salmon has been a favourite in Ireland since the time Finn MacCumhaill burnt his thumb while cooking the salmon of knowledge and thereby gained the wisdom to become a leader.
More recently it featured in a column entitled Women First. There Theodora Fitzgibbon wrote The Secrets of Salmon on July 10th 1970’s edition of The Irish Times. In it she gave instructions on how to bake or to poach a whole salmon. Then she suggested turning the leftovers into kedgeree or salmon fritters. She bemoaned the fact that so many households no longer had a fish kettle, which is looks like a long low fish-shaped saucepan. Such kettles are still scarce salmon is still popular in Ireland whether it’s smoked, panfried or baked.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1970/0710/Pg006.html#Ar00600:47C5D94B35F3
There really is little need to adjust her recipe much unless you wish.
Baked salmon with tarragon
Ingredients
400g salmon fillets or steaks ie about four pieces
1 lemon
1 bunch of fresh tarragon or dried tarragon or parsley
Butter or olive oil
Sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees/170 fan oven/ gas mark 5
Oil the base of a casserole dish or baking tray. Place the salmon skin side up in the dish with a little water so it does not dry out. Squeeze the lemon juice on top. Add a dash of olive oil or a few knobs of butter if you like a richer taste. Sprinkle with sea salt. Then cover. If you don’t have a lid, you can use a tinfoil tent. Or you can leave it open, but expect the fresh tarragon to get crispy. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with a green salad and rice or roast potatoes.
