Some holiday traditions are meant to evolve.
At least that’s what I told myself when I decided to make a whole fillet of salmon the center of Easter brunch. Among classic main dishes, it requires the least amount of time to cook, but looks and tastes impressive, pink for spring and light for all the new brightness in the day.
Around the world, lamb is served for its religious significance, and because lambs are slaughtered in spring. Ham, the other common option, used to come from pigs butchered in the fall. Their haunches were cured and ready by Easter, and the cycle of that pastoral life led to ham becoming the traditional celebratory main.
As much as I love ham and lamb, I found that preparing them well either meant eating late or missing the egg hunt. One year, to accommodate a traditionalist and a pescatarian, I cooked ham, lamb and salmon. Within that trinity, everyone raved about the salmon, so here it is, ready to grace the table.
Wild salmon works especially well with this recipe because the butter in the honey-lemon sauce glosses the lean fish with richness. (Fatty farmed salmon will simply taste even richer, not a bad thing at all.) Dill, lots of it, balances the caramelized buttery sauce with its freshness, green as cut grass.
Whether you use fresh or wild salmon, the fish benefits from a simple trick often applied to steak: salting an hour before cooking. While the seasoned salmon chills uncovered in the fridge, moisture is drawn out of its flesh and evaporates. After cooking, the fish ends up a touch firmer and more savory. If you’re using a light, flaky kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal, which is less salty, be a bit more generous with your sprinkle. For all other types of salt — coarse kosher, any grind of sea salt and fine table salt — season a little more sparingly. The salmon also tastes great if salted for up to four hours and if you’ve forgotten to salt it or run out of time, it’s still flavorful if salted just before cooking.
The same is true of the pickled cucumber topping that sits while the salted salmon does. After an hour, the cucumber slices retain a fresh crispness, the mustard seeds a tight, tiny crunch. If it hangs out longer, the slices slouch and become tangier, as do the seeds, plump from a honey-vinegar brine.
That resting time is also ideal for preparing side dishes: Rice and potatoes work well with this fish, but you can skip those and simply serve it with bread. Each time I’ve tested this recipe, I’ve thrown a sheet pan of asparagus onto the other rack in the oven because the stalks roast in the same short time the fish does. And those 15 minutes have been spent tossing arugula or other tender greens with lemon juice and olive oil.
This menu is ready in an hour and a half and, of course, can grow to more dishes with planning, but for this holiday — or any day, really — it’s a lovely meal that leaves you time to gather Easter eggs and just enjoy the afternoon.
