Baked Salmon with Olives, Garlic & Lemon

This recipe is inspired by the classic Greek slow-cooked lamb as taught to me by my friend Janni Kyritsis. The low-slow cooking in the oven bag gives a wonderfully delicate result, the fish is cooked through but still quite bright and ‘just-set’ in the thickest parts. Cook it for a longer or shorter time, depending on how you like your fish. The lemon and garlic don’t have as long to cook, so don’t break down in the way they do in the traditional dish, so slice them very thinly for best results and, depending on your taste, use less or discard them after cooking once they’ve flavoured the salmon. For maximum flavour, it’s also best to cook the salmon with the skin on, even if you discard it before eating. You can prepare it in the bag 2–3 hours before cooking, but no longer as the lemon will start to ‘cook’ the delicate fish. If you refrigerate the marinating fish, remove it from the fridge an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature. Serve with plenty of crusty bread and a side dish of Pan-fried Agrodolce Radicchio if you like. I love a rose with this recipe, especially the rosato from Edoardo Patrone in the Piedmont Alps.

Serves 4