All-In-One Roasted Fish Supper

I’m a sucker when it comes to roasting fish and vegetables, then serving the two together.  For my blog and website, I’ve combined seafood and vegetables more than once in the past few months. There were cod fillets served atop ratatouille (scroll down for recipe), and also over a potato gratin (scroll way down for recipe). Fillets of salmon paired with bok choy and shiitakes, and halibut steaks set atop a spicy piperade(scroll down for recipe) also made appearances.

Well, here I go again, this time partnering salmon fillets with roasted fingerlings and baby broccoli. This idea was spawned during a rushed visit to my local Whole Foods. I’d put a bag of fingerlings and a bunch of broccolini (those slender broccoli stalks) in my cart and was trying to decide what might work well with them. Presto! I was at the fish counter with some gorgeous salmon jumping out at me.

This all-in-one dish is simplicity itself with each of the ingredients added in steps to the roasting pan. First, sliced (unpeeled) potatoes go into the oven for a few minutes. Then florets are cut from the broccolini and the stems sliced and added to the pan. Finally the fish fillets are drizzled with a little caper vinaigrette and put alongside the vegetables. 

When done, the moist coral-hued fillets are set atop mounds of golden potatoes and crispy, slightly browned baby broccoli. Include a salad of mixed greens and a loaf of crusty bread for a weeknight or company supper that’s delicious, easy, and quick!

Roasted Salmon, Fingerlings, and Baby Broccoli with Caper Butter

12 ounces fingerling potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled

8 ounces baby broccoli (broccolini)

2 tablespoons olive oil plus more if needed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 salmon fillets, cut 1 inch thick (6 to 7 ounces each)

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Caper Vinaigrette

1/3 cup lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup capers packed in vinegar, drained                                   

4 teaspoons chives

1. Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Have ready a large, rimmed baking sheet.

2. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch slices, on the diagonal. Cut the florets from the stems of the broccolini. Remove leaves from stems, and cut the stems crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces.

3. Place the potatoes in a single layer on one half of the baking sheet, mixing with one tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Roast for 5 minutes, remove pan from oven and turn the potatoes. Spread the broccolini on the other half of the baking pan and mix with one tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Return pan to oven for 5 minutes.

4. For caper vinaigrette, in a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper. Whisk in the olive oil and stir in the capers.

5. Remove pan from the oven and arrange fish fillets in center, pushing aside the vegetables to make room. Drizzle each fillet with a few teaspoons of the caper vinaigrette. Roast until fish is opaque and flakes easily and vegetables are tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. If your fish is extra thick and needs more time, remove the vegetables after 10 minutes.

6. To serve, mix the potatoes, broccolini, and lemon zest in a bowl. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.  Mound vegetables on four dinner plates and top each serving with a fillet. Spoon the remaining caper vinaigrette over the fish and sprinkle with chives. Serves 4.