How To Make The Tastiest Oven-Baked Sumac Salmon

Take over the kitchen and treat the whole family to maximum deliciousness with help from Conor Curran.

If Mum is usually the Queen of the Kitchen in your household, treat her to a day off (or join her in her domain) this Mother’s Day and whip up a tasty dish that’s guaranteed to impress her and fill her with love. MasterChef 2021 contestant Conor Curran has kindly shared his recipe for oven-baked salmon – a delicious meal that “comes together fast and super easy, so if you’re a little worse for wear from your Saturday night, you don’t have to work too hard to give your mum maximum deliciousness.”

This fuss-free dish serves four and is easy enough for you to whip up on your own while mum pops her feet up with a glass of wine. Served with a lentil salad, it’s also an easy option for the whole family to be involved in and you can always up your quantities with minimum fuss.

Sumac Salmon and Lentil Salad Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients for Sumac Salmon
- 4 salmon fillet pieces (skin off)
- 3 tbl sp sumac (plus extra to sprinkle on)
- 2 tbl sp paprika
- 1 lime (zest)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
- 4 cracks black pepper

Ingredients for Lentil Salad
- Green lentils (cooked)
- 4 roma tomatoes (diced)
- 1 Lebanese cucumber (diced)
- 1 bunch parsley leaves (finely chopped)
- 1 lime (juice)
- 4 tbl sp olive oil
- 2 tbl sp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbl sp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper

Greek yoghurt to serve.

How to cook salmon:

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan forced.

1. Place all your sumac salmon marinade ingredients into a bowl and bring together with a spoon. Add in your salmon pieces and gently massage into the salmon. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place your salmon on and bake for 10-15 minutes depending on your thickness. Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes.

2. Whilst salmon is cooking, make your lentil salad. Place all your ingredients into a bowl and bring together with a spoon. Season accordingly with salt and pepper to your taste.

3. To serve, layer a bed of lentil salad onto your plate, add your sumac salmon on top and finish with a solid dollop of greek yoghurt.

And for anyone who is banned from the kitchen, save your mum the stress and treat her to something extra special from THE ICONIC Mother’s Day Gift Guide! Conor suggests, “Look, if I was a mum (and in my head I have been taking care of my friends for years) I would want good food, a nice drop of wine, a cheeky fun earring and then everyone to leave my house by 4pm so I can watch my shows in peace.” Sounds just as delicious to us!