Baked Salmon with Garlic & Herb Butter

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Wrap the garlic bulb in foil. Pop in the oven and bake for 25 mins till the garlic is tender and cooked through. Remove the garlic from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 mins. Unwrap the garlic bulb. Break it into cloves and squeeze the roasted garlic from its papery skins. Scoop it into a bowl.

2. Finely chop the parsley leaves and stalks. Add to the garlic. Finely grate in the zest from the lemon. Add the softened butter and grind in a generous amount of black pepper. Mash the butter and seasonings together till well combined. Alternatively, whizz everything together in a food processor.

3. Spoon the flavoured butter onto a small sheet of baking paper and roll it up to make a cylinder. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hr. The butter will keep well in the fridge for up to 7 days or you can freeze it for up to a month. Just make sure it is well wrapped.

4. When you're ready to bake the salmon, take the butter out of the fridge 30 mins before you want to cook the salmon so it will soften. Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Line an ovenproof dish with baking paper. Place the salmon fillet on it, skin side down. Pat it dry with kitchen paper.

5. Dot 75g of the butter over the salmon. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins till the salmon is pink and opaque. Melt the remaining butter and pour it into a jug. Serve the salmon straight away with your choice of sides and the extra butter on the side for pouring.

6. Pick Your Herb
Parsley, lemon and garlic is a classic combination and great with seafood. But you can pick a different herb for your butter if you don't like parsley. Herbs that'd work really well in this dish include chervil, tarragon, dill, chives and basil.