Bruschetta-Style Baked Salmon Recipe

Bruschetta is a popular Italian dish that, at its simplest, consists of toasted bread that's rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. It's commonly topped with additional ingredients, including a fresh tomato basil mixture. When picturing the different kinds of bruschetta, it's probable that baked salmon doesn't come to mind, although bruschetta topped with smoked salmon is often seen. Now, picture a tasty honey baked salmon filet, another popular dish that's not strictly Italian. Why not treat the salmon as the "bread" and top it with a tomato bruschetta topping? Two worlds merge, and we're happy to say it works.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for bruschetta-style baked salmon that pairs these two dishes together in one delicious meal. The salmon comes out perfectly moist, slightly sweet, and full of flavor. The tomato basil topping delivers the right amount of acidity and brightness to complement the salmon. You can serve it on an optional bed of arugula, which provides a fun, peppery contrast to the sweet fish. Finally, the concentrated flavor and thick texture of the balsamic vinegar reduction is not only delicious but provides a beautiful visual when drizzled on top. The best part is that this dish radiates elegance but is quick and easy to make, so it's a good recipe to keep up your sleeve to impress your guests without spending all day in the kitchen.

The first part of this recipe, the balsamic vinegar reduction, only requires one ingredient: balsamic vinegar. This baked salmon recipe serves two, so you will need two salmon filets that each weigh about six ounces. Gather olive oil, honey, garlic, salt, and black pepper for rubbing on the salmon before baking. The bruschetta topping calls for cherry tomatoes, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Finally, you can serve the salmon on a bed of arugula, if desired.

Pour ¼ cup balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and heat it to a gentle boil.

Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 10–15 minutes while stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Prepare the salmon marinade: Place the olive oil, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk well. Set aside.

Pat the salmon filets dry and place them skin-side down on a greased baking pan.

Spoon the honey marinade onto the top of the salmon filets.

Bake the salmon for 12–15 minutes, spooning any pooled liquid back onto the filets halfway through baking.

Meanwhile, make the bruschetta topping by combining the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl and tossing to combine. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Spoon the bruschetta topping evenly over the salmon, drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction on top, and garnish with basil.

Serve the bruschetta-style salmon immediately, on a bed of arugula, if desired.

There are many ways to cook delicious salmon, and baking is just one of them. An equally delicious alternative is to pan-fry the fish. This method involves cooking the salmon filets in a hot pan to achieve a nice, crispy exterior while retaining a moist interior. If you're a fan of eating the skin, searing the fish skin-side down will give you that sought after crunch. For the best results, follow Gordon Ramsay's scoring tip for crisp and flavorful salmon – cut shallow slits in the skin side (not too deep to avoid overcooking) and rub the seasoning into the slits. Then, remember to press the fish skin flat into the pan with a spatula when cooking for maximum crisp.

The process for frying will be slightly different than the baking process described in this recipe, because the honey marinade can burn if you add it at the beginning. Pour the oil directly into the pan and heat it on medium-high. Cook the salmon, skin-side down, for 5–6 minutes, or slightly more if the skin doesn't release easily. Then, flip the filets, add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add the honey, salt, and black pepper and cook for a couple more minutes, until the liquid is slightly reduced and the salmon is opaque. Top as described in the original recipe, and serve immediately.

Salmon is a quite popular fish, but the price tag can often be out of reach. Luckily, this recipe will still be delicious when made with other kinds of fish. A less expensive salmon alternative that has a similar fat and omega-3 content and flaky flesh is Arctic char. This freshwater fish is in the same family as salmon and trout and has qualities of both types of fish. The flavor and red or pink color are quite similar to salmon. Rainbow trout is another good option and has a similar reddish color and a flavor reminiscent of salmon.

Salmon is an oily fish, so if you want to substitute other oily fish, then mackerel, sardines, and herring are good choices. While the dish will taste great, these fish are a lot smaller than salmon, so the visual effect will be different, and you'll need to use more individual fish. Just stick with the same six-ounce weight per serving as called for in the recipe.

If the color of the fish isn't important, we recommend any white fish as a good alternative for this recipe. Cod has a delicious flavor that goes well with the tomatoes and other ingredients in the recipe, and its hearty texture holds up well when baked or fried. Other white fish options include tilapia, flounder, haddock, and snapper. Remember to reduce the cooking time if you're using fish that's thinner than salmon.