Simple Oven-Baked Salmon Steak Recipe

Stir table salt (35 g) into cold water (1 l) until fully dissolved. Put the salmon steaks (600 g) into the brine for 40 minutes: the fish will season more evenly, firm up slightly, and stay juicier after baking.

Take the salmon out of the brine, rinse it briefly under cold water, and dry it very well with paper towels. The surface should be dry, otherwise the fish will steam instead of baking cleanly.

Preheat the oven to 200 °C with convection or 220 °C in a regular oven mode. Place the steaks in a ceramic or glass baking dish; if using a plain baking sheet, line it with parchment.

Bake the salmon for 7 minutes if the steaks are about 2 cm thick, or 10-15 minutes for thicker pieces. The fish is ready when the center turns pale orange, flakes easily with a fork, and stays juicy; with a thermometer, aim for about 52-55 °C in the center.

Let the steaks rest for 1 minute, then season with black pepper (0.5 g) and serve immediately.