028: San Marzano Tomato & Rosemary Salmon
A wintery spin on a summer dish
Yesterday we had a very special visitor (love you, Austin!), and I made us an Italian-inspired luncheon of Pasta e ceci, cooking from Rachel Roddy’s My Kitchen in Rome, which we’ve cooked/eaten from almost exclusively since it arrived. I’m working my way through her chapter on soups. I think my favorite so far is Pasta e patate, but this one, which is begun with a sofrito of olive oil, one crushed clove of garlic, and two anchovies, is coming in at a close second. The recipe calls for only three whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes—a pretty subtle amount for someone who normally only keeps 28-ounce cans on hand, and usually uses them up the moment they’re cracked open. It being a rare experience of having canned tomatoes leftover, I wanted to use the remaining before they got sucked into the vortex that is my fridge, and forgotten.
Having just shopped at the fancier grocery store (what someone in my mom group recently described as “a quick trip to Stars Hollow”), I had two salmon fillets and decided to peruse NYT Cooking for ideas (my resource when I have none). I came upon a Mark Bittman recipe for salmon roasted in foil, with cherry tomatoes and basil, and remembered the leftover canned San Marzano tomatoes in the fridge. Lacking basil, I pulled out The Flavor Bible, looked up salmon, and landed on rosemary as a fitting substitute that I had around.
Having never used the canned tomatoes for anything but pasta sauces and soups/stews I didn’t really know what to expect from pairing them with something as delicate as salmon, but it was an unexpected, delicious success. I love to think of it as a wintery spin on salmon, in the way it relies almost entirely on pantry staples. If you find yourself wanting to make this but don’t have fresh herbs like rosemary or basil on hand, I’m sure this could work with dried herbs, mixed with olive oil into a paste, as a rub for the salmon. I’ll have to try that version next.
The rosemary scent and flavor came through quite intensely, which personally, I love—there’s no herbal scent cozier than rosemary (or maybe sage), right? That said it’s balanced nicely by the tomatoes, since canned ones are much sweeter (but still have that tomatoe-y tang) than cherry tomatoes found out of season. Lastly, I love the way that the salmon roasts wrapped in foil. It’s turns out almost like a salmon confit (but not really since it doesn’t cook very long), since it steams in the oil, its juices mingling with the juices of the tomato. We ended up mopping that up with sourdough bread at the end.
Sam Marzano Tomato & Rosemary Salmon (adapted from Mark Bittman)
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
4 whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, halved and then sliced into wedges
2 large sprigs of rosemary
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 500F
On a baking sheet, lay out two sheets of aluminum foil (large enough to wrap each fillet of salmon in) and drizzle each with a tablespoon of olive oil. Place a fillet on each sheet and season with salt.
Remove four whole peeled tomatoes from the San Marzano can (I like Cento or the SMT brand), cut each in half and then slice them into wedges. Reserve the liquid for another use.
Divide the tomato wedges between each fillet of salmon, scattering them on top of the fish. Add a sprig of rosemary to each and then season with a tiny bit more salt and a couple grindings of fresh black pepper. Lastly, drizzle each fillet with more olive oil.
Wrap each fillet by folding the foil together down the middle and then again on each end (sort of like wrapping a gift), so that you have two little sealed packages. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, or longer if you like your salmon well-done.
Once out of the oven, let the packages rest for a minute or two, then carefully open to allow some steam to emit. Serve directly from the foil onto a plate, alongside a salad of spring greens or arugula, dressed with a vinaigrette.
Again, no recommendations this time! I’m drafting this during a brief break in childcare, while my bolognese sauce braises, and Reed is miraculously home early from work and minding the babe. And real talk: I don’t have a ton to say because in my free time I’ve mostly been watching The Last of Us, and feel very sad about the way S1 ended. A part of me regrets watching? I think it’s an excellent show and roll my eyes at the haters, and the finale does absolutely feels true to the story…BUT STILL. Très dark. Iykyk. xo