This winter, you have to make this slow-roasted salmon with fennel and citrus!
With just 8 simple ingredients, this is an easy way to enjoy salmon for the perfect weeknight meal. It’s ready in just 35 minutes and packed with fresh ingredients like thinly sliced fennel, oranges, garlic, and shallots.
Once winter really kicks in, I love having a few stand-by meals that brighten up my day. This citrus salmon is just that! It’s filled with bright and zingy flavors like fresh citrus and fennel, and slow roasting the salmon is so simple.
This flaky, buttery salmon is perfect with a brussels sprouts and kale salad, but I also love serving it with quinoa, couscous, or rice.
Why you’ll love this slow roasted salmon
Easy: You can prep this slow-roasted salmon recipe in just 10 minutes – there’s not a ton of work.
Flavourful: By cooking salmon at a lower temperature, you’ll get a more tender salmon dish. No overcooked salmon here!
Versatile: Great for weeknights but also the ideal dinner party trick to get a restaurant-quality dinner on the table for your guests in not time.
Ingredients needed
Salmon: I’m using a whole piece of salmon, even thickness throughout the filet, with the skin off. If you can’t find a whole filet, swap it out for 1-1.25 pounds of small salmon filets (around 3-4 filets!). You can also swap it out for steelhead trout!
Oranges: I like to use a mixture of navel and blood oranges, but you can use 2 navel oranges if you can’t find any blood oranges.
Shallot: Shallots pair so well with salmon. If needed, swap out the shallot for a ¼ of a large red onion, sliced thin.
Fennel: Fennel is a divine flavour pairing with the oranges and salmon. As fennel cooks, it softens and provides incredible flavour.
Seasonings: We’re keeping the seasonings super simple since we get so much flavor from the oranges and fennel! You’ll just need kosher salt and black pepper.
How to make this slow roasted salmon recipe
Preheat your oven to 300°F and set aside a baking dish. The dish should be large enough for the salmon filet.
Reserve fennel fronds, then core and thinly slice the fennel bulb and place in the bottom of the baking dish. Add the sliced shallots, 1/4 cup olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper and chili flakes to the baking dish as well. Add the juice of one orange to the mixture in the pan and toss everything to combine. Spread it evenly over the bottom of the dish.
Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Thinly slice the other orange and set aside.
After 15 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, toss everything in the baking dish a few times and then place the salmon filet on top of the fennel mixture in the dish. Season the top of the salmon generously with kosher salt, ground pepper and 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
Drizzle the salmon with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then place the orange slices over top of the salmon filet, overlapping if needed.
Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the salmon measures 135 – 145F (or your desired temperature for doneness) or is tender and flakes easily with a fork.
Use a spatula or knife to cut servings (don’t worry if they’re not perfect as the salmon will sort of flake as you cut it once cooked).Serve pieces of salmon with the fennel and citrus juices from the baking dish, garnished with the reserved fennel fronds and enjoy! You can also squeeze some of the juices from the cooked citrus over the salmon too before serving.
Tips for cooking salmon
I recommend cooking the salmon until it reaches an instant read thermometer reaches 130-145°F in the thickest part of the fish. Don’t have a thermometer? Here are a few ways you can check and see if the salmon is cooked!
Use a fork at the thickest part of the salmon filet and gently twist to see if it flakes easily.
Check the colour of the salmon at the thickest part. It should turn from translucent to opaque.
Use a metal cake tester or the tines of a fork to prick the thickest part of the salmon filet. If the tester comes out lukewarm, then it isn’t done yet. If it’s hot, then it’s done!
Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fillet.
Tips & tricks
Serve this slow-cooked salmon dish with grains like couscous, quinoa, or rice! You can also serve it with broccolini or green beans.
If your baking dish isn’t big enough for the salmon filet, you can cut the filet in half or use a higher rimmed baking sheet.
I usually take out my salmon filets from the fridge 20-30 minutes before I start my recipe. It gives the salmon time to come to room temperature, so it’ll cook more evenly in the oven.
If you can’t find a large piece of salmon, you can swap it out for steelhead trout, which tastes very similar!
Fennel fronds make a lovely garnish but you could use other fresh herbs like fresh dill or mint if desired.
Common questions
What type of salmon should I use?
While you can use any type of salmon you have available to you, salmon with a higher fat content does slow-roast the best. King (Chinook) salmon, Atlantic salmon or Coho salmon all are great choices.
Do I have to use a whole salmon filet?
If you can, a whole filet of salmon does work beautifully for this recipe. However, you can absolutely use 3-4 individual filets of salmon instead.
How to store
Store the leftover salmon, fennel and oranges in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Optional: garnish with fresh dill instead of the fennel fronds
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 300°F and set aside a baking dish. The dish should be large enough for the salmon filet.
Reserve fennel fronds, then core and thinly slice the fennel bulb and place in the bottom of the baking dish. Add the sliced shallots, 1/4 cup olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper and chili flakes to the baking dish as well. Add the juice of one orange to the mixture in the pan and toss everything to combine. Spread it evenly over the bottom of the dish.
Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Thinly slice the other orange and set aside.
After 15 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, toss everything in the baking dish a few times and then place the salmon filet on top of the fennel mixture in the dish. Season the top of the salmon generously with kosher salt, ground pepper and 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
Drizzle the salmon with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then place the orange slices over top of the salmon filet, overlapping if needed.
Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the salmon measures 135 – 145F (or your desired temperature for doneness) or is tender and flakes easily with a fork.
Use a spatula or knife to cut servings (don't worry if they're not perfect as the salmon will sort of flake as you cut it once cooked). Serve pieces of salmon with the fennel and citrus juices from the baking dish, garnished with the reserved fennel fronds and enjoy! You can also squeeze some of the juices from the cooked citrus over the salmon too before serving.
Notes
Serve this slow-cooked salmon dish with grains like couscous, quinoa, or rice! You can also serve it with broccolini or green beans.
If your baking dish isn’t big enough for the salmon filet, you can cut the filet in half or use a higher rimmed baking sheet.
I usually take out my salmon filets from the fridge 20-30 minutes before I start my recipe. It gives the salmon time to come to room temperature, so it’ll cook more evenly in the oven.
If you can’t find a large piece of salmon, you can swap it out for steelhead trout, which tastes very similar!
Fennel fronds make a lovely garnish but you could use other fresh herbs like fresh dill or mint if desired.
