The 5-Ingredient Salmon I Want to Make for Dinner Every Night (the Cream Cheese Topping Is So Good)

Are you tired of serving rotisserie chicken dinners and simple casseroles night after night? If the answer is a resounding yes, then it’s time to shake up your weeknight dinner routine. The best place to start is a simple fish dinner, like this recipe for salmon Rockefeller. In this recipe, you’ll bake salmon fillets until tender and flaky, and then top with a fennel and herb cream cheese spread. The flavors take inspiration from a classic New Orleans dish, but using salmon makes this meal simple and quick to prepare. 

Get the recipe: Salmon Rockefeller

• The herby cream cheese topping is delicious. Fennel, scallions, and parsley give the cream cheese topping the signature look and flavor of classic oysters Rockefeller. 
• Equal parts easy and elegant. This salmon dinner looks like a fancy restaurant meal, but it is incredibly simple to make. Plus it’s ready in about 30 minutes.

1. Bake the salmon. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels, brush with olive oil, and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Roast, skin-side down, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork. 
2. Make the herb-cream cheese topping. Mix sautéed fennel and scallions with cream cheese and fresh herbs. Spread the topping evenly over the baked salmon fillets. 
3. Broil. Slide the salmon under the broiler just until the topping is warm and browned in spots. 

• Choose center-cut salmon fillets. Center-cut salmon fillets have a more even thickness than tail pieces, allowing them to cook more evenly.
• Bring cream cheese to room temperature. It’s easier to mix in the fennel and herbs when the cream cheese is already soft. Plus, when the cream cheese is at room temperature, it won’t take long to warm the topping under the broiler. 
• Get a head-start on dinner. Prepare the cream cheese topping up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate. When ready to cook, let the spread come to room temperature before topping the baked salmon. 

Get the recipe: Salmon Rockefeller

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The 5-Ingredient Salmon I Want to Make for Dinner Every Night (the Cream Cheese Topping Is So Good)