Baked Salmon with Fennel, Citrus and Chiles

Don’t bother trying to divide this fillet into tidy portions. Instead, use a spoon to break it into perfectly imperfect pieces. This recipe wortks equally well for: cod, halibut, John Dory, or turbot fillets.

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 blood or navel orange, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 Meyer or regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 red Fresno chile or jalapeño, with seeds, thinly sliced
4 sprigs dill
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 (2 lb) salmon fillet, skinless, preferably center-cut
¾ cup olive oil
flaky sea salt, such as; Maldon

Garnish:
fresh dill

Preheat oven to 275°F (140°C/120°C fan, Gas Mark 1).

Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chile, and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow 3 qt. baking dish; season with kosher salt and pepper. Season salmon with kosher salt and place on top of fennel mixture. Pour oil over.

Roast until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque), 30-40 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer salmon to a platter, breaking it into large pieces as you go. Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs. Season with sea salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs.

Makes 6 servings.