Honey-Dill Salmon with Basmati Rice

My daughter-in-law looked at me with a raised eyebrow when I placed a portion of honey-dill salmon with basmati rice in front of every seat before we sat down to lunch on Shabbat. Understandable. More than half of the guests were aged twelve-years-old and under. It’s hard for me to prejudge who is going to take the plunge and taste something new but in this case, my gamble paid off. The salmon disappeared. Out of more than a dozen servings, a single untouched plate was returned to the kitchen. This easy one-pan recipe was a hit.

Honey-Dill Salmon with Basmati Rice

In this recipe for honey-dill salmon with basmati rice, adapted from the New York Times recipe by Naz Deravian, carefully rinsed rice is seasoned lightly with dill and baked in the oven. After fifteen minutes, the rice is topped with portions of salmon covered with a creamy, sweet and spicy coating of garlicy mayonnaise combined with tangy lemon zest, a swirl of honey, and a little more of the fragrant dill, and baked for an additional fifteen minutes. A quick pass under the broiler when cooking is completed adds rich, golden color and a bit of crunch to the fish. If you’re lucky enough to have an extra serving left over, it makes the perfect lunch reheated for a few seconds in the microwave the next day. Cook’s treat!

Assemble your ingredients. Place an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a kettle or a small saucepan, bring 2¾ cups water to a boil. Place the rice in a medium bowl and cover with hot tap water. Allow the rice to soak for 5 minutes. Drain the water and save the rice. Return the rice to the bowl and cover the grains with cool water. Using your hand, gently swirl the rice around until the water becomes cloudy. Pour out the water—but make sure the rice remains in the bowl—and repeat until the water is clear, about three to four rinses. (Compare the two pictures on the left and the right above. The picture on the left shows how cloudy the rice is before rinsing. The picture on the rice is after the rice is rinsed.) Rinsing the rice removes excess starch, resulting in grains that are more separate when cooked.

In a 9 X 13-inch baking pan, add the olive oil and spread it around the pan. Add the rinsed rice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder and 2 frozen dill cubes (the equivalent of two teaspoons of fresh chopped dill), and stir to combine. Spread the rice evenly across the pan. Add the boiling water, stir and cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven and bake until most of the water has been absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.

While the rice is baking, in a small bowl, combine the garlic, lemon zest, mayonnaise, honey, dill and red-pepper flakes. Set this mixture aside.

Squeeze lemon juice from the zested lemon over the salmon. Season both sides of the salmon fillets well with salt and pepper. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and very carefully lift the foil. Place the salmon fillets on top of the rice. Spread the mayonnaise paste on top (or flesh side) of the salmon fillets, distributing it as evenly as you can. Reseal and place the pan back in the oven. Bake until the rice is fluffy and the salmon is tender. This took 15 minutes in my oven, but you may want to check it after 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place a rack about 6 inches from the broiler. Turn the oven on broil. Remove the foil from the pan and place it under the broiler for 3 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway mark to make sure that all the fish gets just a hint of color. Keep an eye on the fish and do not let it burn. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Print Recipe

Honey-Dill Salmon with Basmati Rice

Meat, Chicken and Fish

By Adapted from a recipe by Naz Deravian, published in the New York Times – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 40 minutes

Salmon covered with a creamy, sweet and spicy coating, baked with basmati rice seasoned with dill

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ cups white basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
• 2 + 4 frozen dill cubes, (divided), the equivalent of 2 + 4 (divided) teaspoons fresh dill
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 large lemon, zested (about 1 teaspoon) + juice from lemon
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or other red-pepper flakes
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (1 inch thick at their thickest parts), skin on or off

Instructions

1

Place an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a kettle or a small saucepan, bring 2¾ cups water to a boil.

2

Place the rice in a medium bowl and cover it with hot tap water. Allow the rice to soak for 5 minutes. Drain the water and save the rice. Return the rice to the bowl and cover the grains with cool water. Using your hand, gently swirl the rice around until the water becomes cloudy. Pour out the water—but make sure the rice remains in the bowl—and repeat until the water is clear, about three to four rinses.

3

In a 9 X 13-inch baking pan, add the olive oil and spread it around the pan. Add the rinsed rice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder and 2 frozen dill cubes (the equivalent of two teaspoons of fresh chopped dill), and stir to combine. Spread the rice evenly across the pan. Add the boiling water, stir and cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven and bake until most of the water has been absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.

4

While the rice is baking, in a small bowl, combine the grated garlic, lemon zest, mayonnaise, honey, dill and red-pepper flakes. Set this mixture aside.

5

Squeeze lemon juice from the zested lemon over the salmon. Season both sides of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and very carefully lift the foil. Place the salmon fillets on top of the rice. Spread the mayonnaise paste on top (or flesh side) of the salmon fillets, distributing it as evenly as you can. Reseal and place the covered pan back in the oven. Bake until the rice is fluffy and the salmon is tender, another 12-15 minutes.

6

Remove the pan from the oven and place a rack about 6 inches from the broiler. Turn the oven on broil. Remove the foil from the pan and place it under the broiler for 3 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway mark to make sure that every piece of fish gets just a hint of color. Keep an eye on the fish and do not let it burn. Serve warm or at room temperature.