Lemon-Garlic Roast Fish

Lemon-Garlic Roast Fish
From The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2008). Copyright 2008 by American Public Media.

Serves 4 generously and multiplies easily
10 minutes prep time, 20 minutes for marinating; 10 minutes oven time
The dish is best eaten hot out of the oven

Cook to Cook: How to Cook Fish - A General Guide
Generally you cook fish for 10 minutes per inch of thickness. I always check it halfway through cooking with an instant reading thermometer. Once it reads 115°F., I turn off the oven and close the door. When the fish gives off a little bit of what looks like a white cream, it is done.

Marinade:

• 1/2 cup good tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 large garlic cloves
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika or mild chile powder
• 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

The Fish:

• 4 1-inch thick salmon steaks (wild if possible), or other fresh seasonal fish
• Leaves from 4 to 5 branches of fresh coriander

1. Heat the oven to 400 F. In a small food processor, puree together the olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice with the spices and salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon or other fish steaks in a shallow bowl. Pour the mixture over them, and refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.

2. In a shallow baking dish that can hold the salmon steaks or fish with some room to spare, arrange pieces so they do not touch. Bathe with the marinade.

3. Roast the steaks in the oven 3 to 4 minutes then test center temperature with an instant reading thermometer for 115 F. Once it is there, turn off the oven, close the door and leave the fish for another 4 to 8 minutes, or until you see a creamy white liquid escaping from the meat. Now it is ready to eat.

4. Time varies depending upon the temperature of the fish when it goes into the oven. Serve the fish hot with the pan juices spooned over them and the leaves or coriander.