Whole baked salmon with watercress mayonnaise

Name: Whole baked salmon with watercress mayonnaise
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: Serves 10-12
Ingredients: 1.5-1.75 kg (3-3½ lb) whole fresh salmon, cleaned and scaled (ask your fishmonger to gut the fish and remove the scales); 1.5-1.75 kg (3-3½ lb) whole fresh salmon, cleaned and scaled (ask your fishmonger to gut the fish and remove the scales); 1.5-1.75 kg (3-3½ lb) whole fresh salmon, cleaned and scaled (ask your fishmonger to gut the fish and remove the scales); 120 g (4 oz) watercress, tough stems removed; 120 g (4 oz) watercress, tough stems removed; 315 g (10 oz) whole-egg mayonnaise; 315 g (10 oz) whole-egg mayonnaise; few drops of lemon juice; 1 small onion, thinly sliced; 1.5-1.75 kg (3-3½ lb) whole fresh salmon, cleaned and scaled (ask your fishmonger to gut the fish and remove the scales); 1 sprig fresh thyme; 1 small bay leaf; 90 ml (3 fl oz) dry white wine; 5 fresh parsley stalks; lemon wedges, to garnish; sprigs of watercress, to garnish

Preparation info

Serves
10-12

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr 50

Appears in

Seafood

By Le Cordon Bleu

Published 1999

About

Baked in foil to retain the salmon’s flavour and moist texture, this impressive centrepiece is the perfect dish for a large summer gathering, served with new potatoes and summer vegetables.

Ingredients

1.5-1.75 kg (3-3½ lb) whole fresh salmon, cleaned and scaled (ask your fishmonger to gut the fish and remove the scales)
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Fish course
Pescatarian
Summer
Gluten-free

Method

Lift up the gill flap behind the cheek of the salmon head and, using kitchen scissors, remove the dark, frilly gills. Repeat on the other side of the fish. If any scales remain, hold the tail and, using the back of a knife, scrape the skin at a slight angle, working towards the head. Trim the fins. Cut across the tail to shorten it by half, then cut a V shape into the ta