Salmon gets saucy with orange juice

This salmon dish couldn’t be simpler or fresher-tasting.

Chicken or vegetable broth can be used instead of fish or seafood stock, but honestly, you can still make this recipe in less than 40 minutes if you make your own stock.

Salmon in Orange Sauce (Salmone in Salsa d’Arancia)

4 skin-on salmon filets

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

4 navel or blood oranges, or a combination

½ cup fish stock or seafood stock (see note)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

¼ cup water

Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Heat oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees.

Rub the salmon filets lightly with the oil, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange on the baking sheet, spaced at least an inch apart. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, they should be barely opaque but not dry.

Meanwhile, cut the oranges into supremes: Use a serrated knife to slice off the top and bottom of the fruit. Place the oranges on a cutting board and slice off their peels and pith, leaving as much of the fruit intact as possible. Cut between the membranes to separate the sections. Reserve at least 16 of the neatest ones for serving; squeeze the juice of the rest, and the membranes of each orange, through the strainer and into the saucepan.

Add the fish stock to the saucepan, then place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth, then whisk the mixture into the saucepan; cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Season lightly with salt. Remove from the heat; add the reserved orange sections and stir to coat and warm them through.

Place a filet at the center of each plate, discarding the skin if desired. Spoon sauce and orange sections over and around each one.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: To make your own fish stock, ask the fishmonger for the bones from 1 medium-size, white-fleshed fish. Combine in a medium saucepan with 3 or 4 cups of water, 6 or 8 whole black peppercorns, 1 small rib of celery and ¼ of an onion. Bring barely to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium/ medium-low and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Strain into a container with a tight-fitting lid. The cooled stock can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen in small portions for up to 3 months.

Recipe adapted from The Al Tiramisu Restaurant Cookbook: An Elevated Approach to Authentic Italian Cuisine by Luigi Diotaiuti (self-published, 2013)

Upcoming Events