Oven-baked Salmon

This was one of the things I made in college when I needed some protein and wasn't able to get into a dining hall. It's a straightforward preparation and requires minimal attention, meaning you can cook another dish, or do something else while this is cooking.

Stuff you'll need

1. Some salmon
2. Some onion
3. Some acid (lemon juice works well, apple cider vinegar isn't bad either. I wouldn't go with fermented or aged vinegars like balsamic though.)
4. (Optionally) some cooking wine
5. (Optionally) some sesame oil

Preparation

Slice some onion thinly. It doesn't need to be too even because nobody cares that much when you're eating this. Slice enough so that it can create a bed for the salmon in the baking tray, as well as a cover the top of the salmon to protect the fish from direct heat. Toss the onion in your acid of choice, the optional cooking wine, along with enough salt and pepper to season both the onion and the salmon. Feel free to add other spices here if you want, like garlic powder, paprika, or whatever you feel like would taste good with the salmon.

In your baking tray, lay a bed of the onions so that the salmon has a place to rest, without sticking to the tray, or the aluminum foil if you're using that. Then lay a bed of the onions on top of the salmon to protect it from direct heat. Pour the rest of the juices over the salmon evenly. Drizzle some optional sesame oil on top for an extra kick of aroma.

Bake the salmon. I tend to use a lower temperature for a slightly longer bake time, because it keeps the salmon much more tender and juicy. Over-baking salmon can easily dry it out, nobody likes that. I never have a specific temperature or bake time, so use your feelings to figure it out.

Notes

I like using an acidic component because it helps cut through the fat and richness of salmon. Other similar preparations could include using pickled red onions as the acidic component, and including a mayonnaise or compound butter for extra richness and flavor. But, as those ingredients are basically just extra fat, and salmon tends to have a lot of fat already, I skip it.