Mary Berry's one rule for 'juicy' salmon fillets means they never 'dry out'

24 January 2024 , 11:49

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Mary Berry's tip will ensure juicy salmon every time (Image: BBC/Sidney Street/Banijay UK/Craig Harman)

You'll never have to endure dry salmon fillets again if you follow Mary Berry's ultimate rule for 'juicy' results every time.

Salmon is one of the most popular choices of fish when it comes to cooking, and it has a ton of health benefits too, from being an excellent source of vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, vitamin B12, Omega-3, and potassium, to promoting heart health and bone health. But cooking it correctly isn't always easy, as salmon fillets are prone to drying out.

According to TV chef and former Great British Bake Off judge Dame Mary Berry, however, there's an easy way to make sure your salmon fillets never get too dry. All you have to do is cook more than one fillet at a time.

Salmon is a great source of vitamins and minerals (Getty Images)

In a recipe shared in her Foolproof Cooking cookbook, Mary explained that the positioning of the fillets is key for good results, as they can prevent each other from drying out. She wrote: "Place the salmon fillets fairly close to each other on the baking tray so that they keep each other moist and don't dry out during cooking."

If you're just cooking for yourself and wouldn't normally use more than one salmon fillet, then you can opt to batch-cook your salmon fillets as part of weekly meal preparation. This will allow you to use more than one fillet and has the added benefit of saving you time in the week, as all you'll need to do is reheat your second portion.

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The helpful tip came from Mary's recipe for salmon fillets, in which she infused her fillets with moisture and flavour before cooking. This requires you to remove the skin and then season the fish with salt and pepper. Mary's particular recipe then involves topping the salmon with a cream cheese mixture and cooking for less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 280g full-fat cream cheese

• 30g grated parmesan cheese
• One crushed garlic clove
• Two tablespoons finely chopped chives
• Six x 125g salmon fillets, skinned
• One large lemon, (zest and juice)
• A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 150g roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and thinly sliced
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan, Gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, parmesan, garlic and chives, then season with salt and pepper and stir.

3. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and spread the cream cheese mixture equally over each fillet.

4. Mix the lemon zest and parsley and sprinkle over each fillet. Place the fillets on the prepared baking tray and arrange the peppers on top in a neat pattern.

5. Roast in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice and serve hot with new potatoes and dressed salad leaves.

Zahna Eklund