Entertaining has never been easier. Simple yet elegant, this slow-roasted blood orange salmon takes advantage of winter’s most delicious citrus to make a meal that always impresses.
Salmon is my favorite fish, and I love cooking it in every way possible. Smoked, poached, grilled, broiled, blackened — all those cooking methods result in a delicious fish.
But my absolute favorite way to cook salmon is slow roasting. When you slow roast salmon, it cooks slowly and gently at a low temperature, resulting in the most tender, moist fish. Cooking at a high temperature can lead to overcooking, but slow roasting is a foolproof way to ensure you always get a perfectly cooked, never-dry salmon.
As a bonus, this dinner is on the healthy side. Admittedly, I don’t focus on healthful recipes. I tend to share your weekend indulgences. But this slow-roasted blood orange salmon tastes like a weekend treat while also bringing you those healthy fats and antioxidants.
How's that for a little win-win?
Ingredients
Now let’s start cooking. Here's everything we need to put together this delicious winter salmon.
- 2-pound salmon filet
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Blood oranges
- Soy sauce
- Fresh ginger
- Rice vinegar
- Garlic
- Honey
- Cayenne pepper
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Fresh cilantro
Step-by-Step Instructions
Slow roasting salmon truly couldn't be easier. We simply rub our slab of salmon with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and then pop it into a 275-degree oven to roast.
Although this method is called slow roasting, it really doesn't take as long as you might think -- only about half an hour. Slow roasting a big hunk of beef may take several hours, but with our salmon, we're in and out within a reasonable time frame. This method takes a little longer than broiling or high-heat baking, but it's still quick when you compare it to other roasting meats.
While the salmon roasts, we take this time to make our blood orange glaze. We start by juicing fresh blood oranges to get every ounce of that beautiful, vibrant liquid. Seriously, how pretty is this juice?
Now we add our blood orange juice to a small saucepan along with soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, honey, salt and a touch of cayenne pepper to keep our taste buds guessing. We cook the mixture until it reduces and then stir in another tablespoon of honey to give it that perfect glaze consistency.
And now our glaze is ready. See? Also super simple.
For easy entertaining, you can make this blood orange glaze ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Just heat it up shortly before serving. That way, your salmon can roast away in the oven while you're free to chit-chat and enjoy a drink or two.
How to Serve
Because we roast a large filet, this meal is all about family style. Place the salmon on a platter, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro, and allow guests to cut off chunks themselves and pass around the platter. You can either spoon the glaze on top of the salmon or place the glaze in a small serving bowl and pass it along after the salmon.
In the photos, I spooned the glaze directly on the salmon, but I actually prefer to serve it separately. When you spoon the glaze on top of the entire slab, some will naturally run off. By serving it separately, everyone can get plenty of that citrusy goodness directly on their salmon.
That said, I'm giving you the other option in case you would rather slather the blood orange glaze on top and call it a day. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. Both will give you a tasty dinner.
Perfect Pairing
Grab a witbier with this citrusy salmon, and you're in for a delicious meal. Witbier gives us some bright orange peel with spicy yeast that meshes well with our fresh ginger. The hops lean toward the herbal side, which work beautifully with our fresh cilantro garnish. We also get plenty of carbonation to help cut through that fatty salmon.
For wine, we actually have a few options, but to keep with the elegant feel, I recommend a sparkling rosé. I just love how the berry notes of the rosé play with the tart yet sweet blood orange and ginger, and those bubbles are perfect for cleansing our palate after a bite of salmon. A sauvignon blanc with its bright citrusy notes is another lovely option.
And, of course, I'm sure you would love my blood orange margarita or rosemary-blood orange gin and tonic with the salmon to play up the glaze.
For those nights you want to keep it simple yet elegant, I hope you try this slow-roasted blood orange salmon. Everyone is sure to love this impressive meal. Please let me know how you enjoyed this winter citrus salmon recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.
Cheers!
Looking for More Elegant Dinner Ideas?
- Truffled burrata and grilled scallop pasta
- Grilled lobster fettuccine in lemon Alfredo sauce
- Red wine-braised short ribs
- The best coq au vin
- Morel mushroom pasta in Parmesan cream sauce
Slow-Roasted Blood Orange Salmon
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Six servings
Description
Entertaining has never been easier. Simple yet elegant, this slow-roasted blood orange salmon takes advantage of winter’s most delicious citrus to make a meal that always impresses.
Ingredients
2-pound salmon filet, skin left intact
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Several blood orange slices
¾ cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1 small garlic clove, grated or minced
3 tablespoons honey, divided
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Remove salmon filet from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking and let sit in room temperature. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place blood orange slices all over the salmon. Roast in a 275-degree oven until it reaches a 120-degree internal temperature for medium rare, about 25 minutes. The center of the salmon may still look a bit translucent because of the low cooking temperature, but as along as it reaches that 120 degrees and it flakes easily, it's done cooking.
- As the salmon roasts, make the blood orange glaze by mixing together in a small bowl freshly squeezed blood orange juice, garlic clove, 2 tablespoons honey, soy sauce, ginger, rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reduces to about ½ cup. Turn off heat and pour into a serving bowl. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of honey and set aside.
- While the blood orange glaze reduces, toast sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about two to three minutes. Set aside.
- When the salmon finishes roasting, remove from oven and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro on top. Allow everyone to spoon of their own portions from the salmon filet family style and pass around the glaze for every person to drizzle. Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 ounces
- Calories: 237
- Sugar: 11
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 16
- Cholesterol: 40
Keywords: blood orange salmon
Oh I love this - bright flavors, easy. We've been trying to eat fish at least once a week, so bookmaking to make later
I hope you love it, Liz!
Oh I love this. I love the flavors and the fact you used ginger and soy sauce and rice vinegar. Makes things so much interesting. Can't wait to make this. Absolutely delicious.
★★★★★
They're all so delicious together!
Slow roasting salmon is truly the best way to cook salmon. And I love the citrusy addition of the blood oranges!
★★★★★
I'm obsessed with it!
I'd never slow roasted my salmon before, but it's definitely a fabulous way to treat a beautiful filet! I tend to overbuy blood oranges when I see them so I was delighted to find a fun way to use them, my dinner guests loved this, so so full of flavor!
★★★★★
Yay! Love hearing that, Mikayla!
Blood Orange is all the rage right now in recipes due to the tasty flavor and amazing color. It adds an extra something to the recipe. Delicious Salmon slow roasted with blood orange is amazing on so many levels.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Tara! I just love blood oranges.
Wow what a great way to flavor salmons with fresh ingredients. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
★★★★★
You're so welcome!
This looks so delicious! Salmon is one of my favorite dishes, and I love the great flavors you've added to it here. 🙂 The pictures look amazing, and I can't wait to try it!
★★★★★
Thanks, Amy! I'm sure you'll love it.
This dish looks so colorful and delicious. I would love to try this for my family soon.
★★★★★
I hope you do!
This is a stunning dish to make for a dinner party! So colorful and delicious looking. I always use blood oranges for cakes but now I'm adding this recipe to the list!
★★★★★
Absolutely! It makes a lovely centerpiece.
The flavors in the recipe are fantastic! My family really loved this dish with the citrus ginger combo. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
So glad to hear that! I just love citrus and ginger together.
Any recommendation for a salad to go with the dish?
I love the idea of serving an Asian-inspired salad! I’d go with something with a bit of a crunch to balance the fatty salmon. While I haven’t tried this particular salad recipe, it sounds like it’d be a delicious side: https://www.oliviascuisine.com/asian-salad-with-sesame-ginger-vinaigrette/.
This looks delicious! We are always hunting for new recipes! Adding this to the menu plan this week! I cannot wait for my family to try it! YUM!
Thanks, Cindy! Hope you all love it!