Salmon Slices Baked in Cream

This is the kind of recipe you find in old European cookbooks, and it deserves a comeback. Salmon fillets bake gently in a bath of light cream infused with bay leaf, cloves, thyme, and onion slices. The cream does double duty: it poaches the fish to silky tenderness while picking up all those aromatic flavors.

After the salmon comes out, that infused cream becomes the base for a proper French-style sauce. A butter and flour roux thickens it into something velvety, and a hit of lemon juice at the end brightens the richness so it doesn’t feel heavy.

Basting the salmon occasionally during baking keeps the exposed top from drying out. The parts submerged in cream stay moist on their own, but that top surface needs attention.

Pro Tips

• Leave the salmon slightly exposed above the cream line. Fully submerging it makes the fish too soft and the cream dilutes the salmon flavor.
• Strain the aromatics out of the cream before making the sauce. Bay leaf and clove bits in a smooth cream sauce are not pleasant to bite into.
• Simmer the finished sauce for the full 10 minutes. This cooks out any raw flour taste and lets it reduce to the right coating consistency.

Variations

• Garnish with fresh dill instead of parsley for a Scandinavian lean on this classic preparation.
• Add a splash of white wine to the cream before baking for a slightly acidic, more complex sauce base.
• Swap the salmon for thick cod or halibut fillets, adjusting baking time as needed for thickness.