Once the second busiest transit terminal in the world, San Francisco’s Ferry Building is the ultimate destination for gourmand produce, blooms, and local delights.  The storied embarkation point, operated by the nonprofit Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, attracts over 25,000 people weekly.

The idyllic weather this weekend called for a visit to the open-air marketplace.  Armed with Blue Bottle coffees, my mother and I trolled the stalls – picking out peonies the size of grapefruits, lavender asparagus, and vegan olallieberry pie.  When I happened upon a vendor selling freshly-pulled herbs from his garden, the Barefoot Contessa’s Herb Roasted Salmon dish sprang to mind.  I selected crisp dill, scallions, and parsley, then ventured inside the Ferry Building to pick out a dry Chenin Blanc for the recipe.

As I’ve mentioned before, salmon recipes are often a bit blasé.  In this case, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  While I’ve roasted hundreds of chickens, I’ve never thought to roast salmon.  The tangy wine disappears into the pink flesh, and the aromatic herbs impart complex flavor.  You may be tempted to discard some of the herbs post-roast, but I assure you that the heap of emerald greens offer a mouth-watering fresh taste.   Serve one of the heavenly confections from Miette for dessert, and you will have a Ferry Building feast to remember!   xx tt

Recipe - adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients 

·  1 (2-pound) skinless salmon fillet (I used wild-caught Alaskan salmon from Whole Foods)

·  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

·  1/4 cup olive oil

·  3 lemons

·  4 scallions/green onions

·  1 bunch fresh dill

·  1 bunch fresh parsley

·  1/2 cup dry white wine 

Instructions 

·  Preheat oven to 425 degrees

·  Place salmon in a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel roasting pan

·  Season liberally with salt and pepper

·  Juice two of the lemons

·  Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil

·  Drizzle over salmon and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes

·  Chop dill, scallions (green and white parts), parsley

·  Combine herbs in a bowl 

·  Scatter over both sides of the salmon VERY GENEROUSLY

·  Pour wine around salmon

·  Put in oven for 20 minutes

·  Slice lemon into wedges

·  When finished roasting, pull salmon out and cover tightly with aluminum foil

·  Let salmon rest for 10 minutes

·  Serve with lemon wedges

FINISHING TOUCHES

tool BOX: remove pesky bones from your salmon fillet with these ingenious needle nose pliers

t+t for the TABLE: serve everything from this herbed salmon recipe to your favorite sushi take-a-way on these conveniently eponymous Fish Platters

t+t STYLE: if you can get your hands on a highly coveted (but allegedly illegal) Birkin-on-Canvas tote,  it would be perfect for holding all of your Farmers Market loot