It's All About Salmon

One of my go-to to weekday meals is Roasted Salmon.  Salmon is really good for you, and my husband (who never used to eat fish at all) is willing to eat it (and my son L-O-V-E-S it!).  It is super easy to make, but worthy of serving for company.

It also is really easy to have on hand.  We buy it in bulk at Costco, cut it up in portions, and then freeze each portion.  We usually move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before we cook it, and it defrosts in time for dinner.  But if we ever forget to defrost it (which is more often than not), it defrosts pretty quickly in a bowl of warm water.

Most important of all, it meets all five of my requirements for a great weekday meal:  (1) healthy; (2) doesn't taste healthy; (3) very little hands-on time; (4) my husband's not afraid to make it or I can make it in advance; and (5) I can have it on the table within 15 minutes of getting home (even if my husband didn't help).  I rotate between four different seasonings/marinades (and have a fifth if I have more time), but all are based on the same formula.

1. Pick one of the twists on seasoning or marinades (see below).
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
3. Place salmon on baking dish and cook in oven for 12-15 min (increase time if cooking more than four pieces of salmon; when I cook the entire bulk package from Costco it takes 20-30 minutes). 

Twists on seasoning and marinades:

1. The "OG" - Lemon Roasted Salmon:  Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over each piece of salmon and rub to coat top.  Sprinkle "Lemon Herb" McCormick seasoning over salmon.
2. Soyaki Salmon - Pour Soyaki (from Trader Joes) over the salmon.  Can be marinated for 15 minutes or more, which does make a slight difference, but it's also fine without the pre-marinating.  
3. Island Soyaki Salmon - Same as Soyaki Salmon, but use the Island Soyaki from Trader Joe's, and use that instead of the Soyaki
4. The Purist - Drizzle a little olive oil over the salmon and rub in, then sprinkle a little Lawry's seasoning (or Mrs. Dash alternative), and rub in a little minced garlic. 
5. Fancy Mustard Salmon -  Although you won't catch me making this one on a weekday (unless it is also a holiday), this is a great marinade as well (I sometimes cook this one at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, but 425 works too):  Mix the juice and zest from half a lemon with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of dijon mustard, then add 1 minced garlic clove.  Season with salt and pepper.  Then drizzle (and spread) over salmon, set salmon aside for 15 minutes before cooking.