Think “Parmigiana” — that’s the best way to get an idea of the experience you’ll have eating this dish. It has cheese, tomato sauce and protein. But salmon instead of the traditional veal. The cheese is not Parmigiana either. The layering is different too. Melted cheese on top of broiled salmon served in a pool of chunky tomato sauce.
I came up with the idea for this dish back in 2011 when my daughters were away in college and my husband had not yet retired. I was by myself all day on weekends and I often took the opportunity to get creative and critique my own creations. This recipe, I got right the first time. There was never any need to modify it when I recreated it for my family later.
A few tips: We make our own tomato sauce at home. So, it’s easy to control just how chunky or smooth it will be by the time it’s done. I understand that not many will want to take that route so let me just say that it’s quite alright to use store-bought. But even store-bought tomato sauce comes in many forms. I recommend chunky over smooth.
Sharp-flavored cheeses are not recommended for this dish because they will overwhelm the salmon. And that would be a pity because you really want the natural flavor of the salmon to shine through. Choose a variety of cheese that melts well and has a mild flavor.
Beyond the tips about the tomato sauce and the cheese, the real trick in making this dish is to have everything cooking all at the same time. While the tomato sauce is simmering away, broil the salmon. At the end of 20 minutes, your easy cheedy broiled salmon is ready and every component of the dish is steaming hot.
Ingredients
- 1 salmon fillet to satisfy one person
- salt
- pepper
- 1 drizzle olive oil
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ⅓ cup grated cheese
- chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F (bottom and top heat on).
- Take a small baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
- Lay the salmon on the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Broil the salmon for eight minutes (the actual broiling time may vary depending on the size of the fillet).
- Meanwhile, heat up the tomato sauce.
- Take the salmon out of the oven and pile the grated cheese on top.
- Return to the oven and broil for another 30 seconds or just until the cheese melts.
- To assemble your meal, place the salmon on a plate (make sure to scoop out whatever melted cheese may have fallen on the baking sheet). Spoon the tomato sauce around the salmon. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve at once with rice or bread.
