Baking salmon on top of Swiss chard keeps the fish moist and eases the removal of the delicate fillets from the baking dish. The fresh cucumber relish pairs very well with the salmon. Use the freshest looking cucumber you can find. I used an English or hothouse cucumber because its quite mild and has very small seeds and a very thin skin.
* 1 cucumber, preferably English
* 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and cut into 1/4-inch dice
* 2 or 3 green onions, finely chopped
* 1 tsp chopped fresh dill
* 1/4 cup champagne vinegar (or other sweet white wine vinegar)
* 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
* 1/8 tsp salt
* 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 8 green Swiss chard leaves
* salt
* 4 salmon fillets, skin removed
* freshly ground pepper
About 1 hour before serving, make the cucumber relish: Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop out the seeds and discard. Cut the cucumber into 1/4-inch dice; you should have about 1 1/2 cups.
In a bowl, combine the cucumber, bell pepper, green onions and dill. In a separate small bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt. Whisk until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the sweetened vinegar to the cucumber mixture and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside at room temperature for 50-60 minutes, stirring frequently.
Position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 425°F. Select a baking dish that will accommodate the salmon fillets comfortably in a single layer. Brush the bottom of the dish with some of the olive oil.
Rinse the chard leaves. Trim the white stems from the chard, including the first 2 inches that protrude into the leaves. Discard the stems. Fold the leaves in half crosswise, sprinkle them with water and arrange in 4 stacks of 2 leaves each in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the chard with a little salt and lay a salmon fillet, skinned side down on each chard stack. Brush the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper.
Bake, uncovered, until the salmon is opaque throughout, 12-15 minutes.
Using a spatula, carefully transfer the fillets with their chard leaves to warmed plates. Top each fillet with 3-4 spoonfuls of the cucumber relish. Serve.
This recipe and more at
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