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Fennel & Herb-Crusted Salmon with Salmon Skin Aioli

Salmon and fennel are the stars of the show here. Fennel helps to coat the outsides of the salmon fillets as they bake. Fennel is also included as a raw component on this dish, sliced finely on a mandolin and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.
The skin and bones of the salmon are fried in some sunflower seed oil, which is strained, cooled down, and blended with eggs, cilantro, and garlic to create a unique, salmon-flavored aioli. The aioli is served alongside the fennel & herb-crusted salmon.

Ingredients

For the Fennel & Herb-Crusted Salmon:

  • ¼ head of fennel, sliced finely on a mandolin and then finely chopped
  • ½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp sunflower seed oil
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • Zest of ½ orange
  • 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 side of salmon, skin and pin bones removed and saved
  • 1-2 tsp Kosher salt, to season salmon

For the Salmon Skin Aioli:

  • Skin and bones from 1 side of salmon
  • 1 cup + 1 Tbsp sunflower seed oil
  • ¼ tsp Kosher salt
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of ½ lemon, or more, to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 whole egg
  • 3 sprigs of fresh cilantro, or about 2 Tbsp of fresh cilantro leaves
  • A tiny sprinkle of ground cayenne pepper
  • Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

For the Raw Fennel Salad:

  • Juice of ½ lemon, or more to taste
  • ¼ tsp Kosher salt
  • Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ bulb fennel, sliced very finely on a mandolin slicer
  • 2 Clementines or Naval Oranges, peeled, seeded, sections cut in half
  • 2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely sliced

Instructions

For the Fennel & Herb-Crusted Salmon:

  • Finely slice ¼ head of fresh fennel on a mandolin.
  • *Be careful not to cut yourself with your mandolin.
  • Finely chop the sliced fennel.
  • Combine the finely-sliced and chopped fennel in a large mixing bowl with the fresh dill, parsley, cilantro, Panko bread crumbs, sunflower seed oil, Kosher salt, freshly-ground black pepper, ground cayenne pepper, orange zest, mayonnaise, and the egg yolk.
  • Stir to mix everything and evenly distribute all of the ingredients.
  • *If you feel that the mixture is going to be a bit too dry to adhere to the salmon, add another egg yolk, or add more mayonnaise. Alternatively, if you feel the mixture is too wet for your liking, you can add a bit more breadcrumbs or use less mayonnaise.
  • Remove the skin and pin bones from your side of salmon.
  • *Save the skin and pin bones for later.
  • Season both sides of the salmon with Kosher salt.
  • Coat the salmon in an even layer of the fennel and herb mixture, and place on a piece of parchment paper on a sheet tray.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F while you prepare your remaining ingredients.

For the Salmon Skin Aioli:

  • To prepare the aioli, begin by frying the salmon skin and bones from earlier in 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp of sunflower seed oil.
  • Fry for ten minutes, and then strain the oil and allow the oil to cool to closer to room temperature.
  • When the oil has cooled, transfer it to a tall and narrow container.
  • Add the Kosher salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, whole egg, fresh cilantro, and ground cayenne pepper.
  • Blend in a tall and narrow container using an immersion blender until the ingredients are emulsified.
  • Taste, and season with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
  • Add more lemon juice if desired.
  • Set the aioli aside in the fridge for when you are ready to serve.

For the Raw Fennel Salad:

  • To prepare the raw fennel salad, finely slice ½ head of fennel on a mandolin.
  • Combine the raw sliced fennel in a large mixing bowl with the lemon juice, Kosher salt, freshly-ground black pepper, honey, Dijon mustard, and extra virgin olive oil.
  • Peel the 2 Clementines or oranges, and separate the fruit into sections.
  • Remove any seeds from the fruit sections, and cut the fruit sections in half.
  • Add the Clementines or oranges to the seasoned raw fennel mixture, and combine with the fresh chives.
  • Set the prepared salad aside for when you are ready to serve.
  • When you are ready to cook your Fennel & Herb-Crusted Salmon, bake the crusted salmon at 375F for roughly 20 minutes, or until the inside of the thickest part of the salmon is just barely cooked (almost undercooked).
  • *The salmon will continue to cook as you slice it up and serve it.
  • Slice the salmon into portions, and serve immediately on plates with the raw fennel salad on the side.
  • Don’t forget to include a few dollops of salmon skin aioli that you made earlier to enjoy with the salmon!

Notes

Any leftover salmon will taste wonderful on a salad the following day for lunch.