If I were stuck on a deserted tropical island with an oven, this is what I would make. On a deserted tropical island, life seems to stand still, there’s no crinkly shirts to iron, no snarly traffic and most importantly, no alarm clocks or Microsoft Outlook. You’ve got time and you’ve got plenty of fish. I’m going to teach you about the magic of low ‘n slow tropical island salmon - once you try this method, you’ll never cook fish another way. Welllll….unless you want to try:
Steamed Chinese Fish
Grilled Whole FIsh on Banana LeafBut I digress…. Low and slow is the ticket to most tender, succulent and true-to-flavor food, just like my number one favorite recipe in the whole wide world Baby Back Ribs with Asian Orange-Ginger Glaze 
proves.
The concept is simple
When you cook fish on high heat - the proteins immediately seize up - which is why it’s so easy to overcook fish, and end up with dry, chalky and tough piece of seafood. I mean, if you were set on a blazing hot bed of coals, you’d seize up too, screaming, “HOLY SHIT THAT’S HOT!”
Now…lets think sauna…jacuzzi…You see, gentle cooking breaks DOWN the meat, giving it a chance to relax…chill out…have a margherita….get a tan. For fish, low and slow creates the most dreamy, silky-smooth, melt in your mouth texture. And the surprise…the cooking is so gentle that the fully cooked salmon looks almost EXACTLY like it did before cooking.
Salmon before cooking….
Salmon cooked 250F for 25 minutes….
A little peek at the inside - yes, it looks exactly like it does pre-cooked, but it’s cooked to a silky texture.
Those purple flowers are from my Ginger Mint Herb. The lavender color is just gorgeous!
Slow Cooked Salmon
This recipe is SO easy and lazy that I’m not even going to give you the traditional formatted recipe. Improvise, make it your own and have fun. This is truly lazy at its finest. The salmon cooks on a bed of either sliced onions, citrus or herbs - the bed serves a purpose. When you slow cook salmon, some of the proteins break down and can cook out. The bed helps any fats and proteins drain away. Plus, the fish gets gently perfumed with whatever you use for the bed
4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets (1 per person)
Choose ingredients below:
| Seasonings |
Bed | Finishing (after cooking, top with) |
| (PHOTO ABOVE) brush w/cooking oil, salt, pepper, ground coriander, top with orange slices | thin sliced oranges and onions | crushed macadamia nuts, mint |
| brush w/oil, salt, pepper, brown sugar | sliced ginger, green scallion sections | minced scallions |
| brush w/honey, salt, pepper | thin sliced fennel pulb | parsley, more thinly sliced fennel |
| (PHOTO BELOW) brush with honey, salt, pepper | sliced oranges, lemons | sweetened coconut flakes, diced mango, papaya, red onion, golden raisins |
| brush with oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder | sliced red onions |  fresh mango salsa |
How to cook salmon low and slow
1. Preheat to 250F. Season salmon and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. <- important. Otherwise the time in the oven will be devoted to un-chilling your salmon, instead of cooking it. Grab a pan big enough to hold all fillets in single layer. Make bed of whatever ingredients you’ve chosen.
2. Place the salmon fillets on the bed you’ve made. Cook for 30 minutes. [if you're cooking more than 4 fillets, just add another 2 minutes per additional filet] To test for doneness, stick a sharp paring knife in, if it goes in an out very easily, its done. Even if you leave it in the oven for an extra few minutes, don’t worry, it is impossible to overcook the salmon this way….unless you, uh, leave it in the oven for a week.
3. Top with whatever finishing herbs, spices or ingredients you’ve chosen. After cooking, the salmon is going to look almost exactly the same as when you first put it in. Don’t worry, after 30 minutes in the oven it is cooked.
If you generally like your tuna seared, or you like your salmon “medium rare” - you must try this recipe. Low and slow really does capture and deliver what the ingredients should taste like exactly. The salmon still retains all of its gorgeous color, even when fully cooked. The texture and flavor is sublime!
p.s. I found a can of spices at my local gourmet market. Its called JUNGLE BOOGIE!!! Isn’t that just too cool? With a name like that, who cares what kind of spice it was, I just had to try it! 
<– see, I wasn’t joking! “Naturally organic. Fresh dried granulated mango, banana, pineapple, coconut, herbs, roasted garlic and roasted red/green bell peppers” Naturally, its made by a company called Bad Bone. Sadly, Bad Bone is a goner. No longer in business. 
Someone, quick, create a spice blend with those same ingredients and sell!!! I will be your number one fan.
***
If you like this recipe, I know you’ll love:
How to transform “cheap” Choice steak into “gucci” Prime steak
May 8th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Wow, the thinly sliced citrus and mint flowers really draw your attention to the beauty and color of the salmon. And I love the name, “Jungle Boogie!” (Did your children get to see that tin of spices? I would imagine they would have a hearty laugh about that name!) Although I have “Jungle Boogie” envy, I really appreciate all of the alternative “Jungle Boogie” options you provided!
May 8th, 2007 at 1:14 am
I wanted to ask about the color of the cooked salmon! Guess you read my mind. I am guessing the color did not change becos they were cooked at low heat? Anyways… looks like you had great fun boogie-ing with your salmon
May 8th, 2007 at 2:15 am
That looks amazing. I am going to find Jungle Boogie and use it on oh, everything.
May 8th, 2007 at 2:45 am
Absolutely beautiful! And I really want to find some Jungle Boogie!
May 8th, 2007 at 3:44 am
The colors are breathtaking! I’ve never heard of this technique but it sounds terrific, a definite must try for me. I hate overcooked salmon but I’m not so good with cooking it. Thanks Jaden!
Jungle Boogie is such a funny name.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:53 am
Simply stunning! I’m guessing that this magical jungle boogie is something I can’t get over here in Australia…*sighs wistfully*
May 8th, 2007 at 7:59 am
I love salmon, and this dish - the color! - is doing its seductive best to make me try it for the weekend, but (and of course there is always a but), one look at Baby Back Ribs with Asian Orange-Ginger Glaze and I’m hooked! I’ve been looking for a way to use up some blood oranges and this is it.
Beautiful blog, glad to have stopped by!
May 8th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Thanks girls! The kids had fun saying “jungle boogie woogie” and shaking their skinny butts. The color of the fish was amazingly almost the same exact color of it raw!
I’ll have to call Jungle Boogie and see if they sell elsewhere other than my gourmet market here in town. I see that their phone number is local to my area…
May 8th, 2007 at 8:58 am
I hate fish that’s overcooked, so this looks perfect to me.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Jaden this is a gorgeous photo, the colors blew me away!
May 8th, 2007 at 9:24 am
I saw that article too, and I just cooked some salmon this way last week! It was unbelievable. What I actually did with it was make a version of a ginger-wasabi salmon salad that I saw on Ming Tsai’s site. It was almost a shame to break it up for the salad, but the result was just so moist, tender, and full of salmon flavor. I have been recommending this method to people ever since (I did 3 fillets at 225 for 30 minutes).
May 8th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Jaden surely it’s a wild salmon, it has a wonderful color, and this dish has all the summer’s color, I image to eat it in a beautiful house on the beach in California! Compliments
May 8th, 2007 at 11:38 am
I made the mistake of not allowing my salmon to come to room temp the other time. And I did not roast it at a lower temp like 250 ? The salmon was still tasty…but it’s just did not appear pretty - with that “white” stuff (proteins) oozing out. No “dress” will save the salmon from looking…err…err…ugly. :O
Look at the the color of your salmon! It puts me to shame….your salmon is so beautifully cooked!
May 8th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Kalyn-I’m putting more info on the ginger mint & its flowers in the recipe to submit for WHB.
Ari-It just so happened that I went outside to pick some parsley and mint flowers really caught my eye. It really provided a nice contrast to the salmon pink.
Steve- Next time I do this I probably will cook for 30 minutes. I’ll look up that recipe for ginger wasabi and use that dressing to drizzle over the fillets!
Ady- with a glass of Pinot Grigio!
Tigerfish- yeah, it needs to come to room temp first - otherwise it spends half of its life in the oven just warming up. The reason why the salmon sits on a bed of onions and orange slices is to keep it elevated so the white stuff can drain away. Thank you for your compliments!
May 8th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
That looks fantastic! I just happen to have some salmon fillets in my fridge and was trying to figure out what to do with them! I can’t wait till dinner tonight!
May 8th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Good choise, Jaden, even a Prosecco match with this dish
bye
May 8th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Jaden, the wasabi-ginger mayo is incredibly simple. I just use about 4-5 Tbsp regular mayo (I use Japanese “Kewpie” mayo) and mix in about 1 Tbsp each of wasabi paste, freshly grated ginger, and rice wine vinegar. S&P to taste. Ming Tsai’s version is actually a from-scratch aioli which is not particularly difficult but a lot less lazy.
May 8th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
merely looking at 25 minutes it’s kinda challenging my taste… that me! I love silky and melt-in-the-mouth feel. Got to try this wonderful slow-cook method! Jaden, your dish is divine!
May 9th, 2007 at 2:13 am
Tropical island indeed…
I love those little purple flowers thingy…are they from your garden?
May 9th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Rasa Malaysia- Yes, they are. They are the flowers from a ginger mint plant. The leaves are beautiful too - small green/purple leaves.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I tried the cooking technique last night and, indeed, it was melt-in-the-mouth tender, and very tasty. I didn’t have the toppings, so just went with only S&P, and still delicious.
The top of the salmon was a bit, oh, dry, or slightly crusty, or anyway a bit more firm than the rest, so I might try spreading on a bit of olive oil to keep it moist.
I don’t cook enough (I’m single) that I keep keep a wide variety of fresh herbs around. The cost per use goes way up when the unused batch goes bad, so I appreciate the toppings based on items that keep longer around the kitchen.
Wonderful food, delightful photos. Thanks for the website.
May 9th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Hi Alan - I think when I topped the fish with the thin slice of orange that might have kept it moist on top. Fresh herbs - Grow your own little tiny windowsill herb garden! Thanks for visiting.
May 9th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Hi Jaden! Love the idea of putting food in a bag and lettin git cook on low for long hours. I recently ate Salmon made a similar way at a friends place, and it was divine! Now that my husband is leaving (again!!@#!) for a 2-week business trip this Friday, I’m pretty sure there’ll be more than a few lazy girl meals for moi!
Wish you lived somewhere nearby, it would be fun to meet up and have lazy Monday mornings every week! 
And need I add, drool worthy pictures!
May 9th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Meena-well one of us has to get rich so we can hop on a private jet every Monday morning for lunch!
May 9th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Oh. The light comes on. Orange on top of the salmon as well as the bottom. I was thinking the orange on top was just a garnsih. Thanks for the tip.
May 10th, 2007 at 6:11 am
hello jayden,
i found your lovely site through tastespotting featuring this salmon recipe. can’t wait to try it.
btw, where can i find the jungle boogie spice? i searched online but couldn’t find one. you mentioned it was local, whereabouts though? i might have a friend or relative for all i know who can get me one!
thank you and kudos to your site!
cheers,
mrswynne
May 10th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Hi Mrs. Wynne- I found Jungle Boogie in Sarasota Fl where I live. I did a search too and no results. I’m planning to stop by the store this week and ask the general manager how I can get in touch with that company. I’ll report back!
May 11th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I swear your pics look so PRO! Mmm this salmon dish looks so tasty! I would love to see a chocolate dessert on your blog….i will be going out on a dinner date tonight, i hope the food looks just as good! HA!
http://madebygirl.blogspot.com/
http://www.madebygirl.com
May 12th, 2007 at 2:00 am
This reminds me, I was trapped with tigerfish in her coco de nato island adventure hehe. I always wanted my salmon cooked like that, now I know !! wow..never thought of that , such simple method, thanks !!
June 7th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Jaden, this looks amazing! It will probably make it to my table tomorrow night! Did you ever find out about Jungle Boogie? The rest of us are dying to get some too!
June 7th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Hey there,
Jungle Boogie sadly is not available outside of this area. I don’t even know if the company who made this is still in business. It was just some local person here that made the spice concoction.
sad!
June 12th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
OMG - It was a trip to a tropical island in my mouth…so tasty and succulent. I made it with Copper River Sockeye Salmon and Meyer Lemon. WOW!
June 13th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
I just wanted to comment and say thank you for this great recipe. I stumbled upon your website yesterday and ran out to buy some salmon only hours later. I followed your recipe almost perfectly, but used the fresh mango relish and crushed macadamia nuts option as I couldn’t find any Jungle Boogie! OH WOW. It goes perfectly with your coconut rice as well! This will most definitely be a method that I use from now on for super tender baked fish. Not only that, but it’s beautiful as well!
June 26th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
My wife, Alex, made this. It was the best! In fact, she’s been making me all kinds of good food from your blog. Next up is the Fro-Yo and the Asparagus. mmmmmm.
June 27th, 2007 at 2:05 am
Jacqueline- I wish I could get Meyer Lemons here….
Jenn- I’m so happy that you loved the recipe! Fresh mango relish REALLY sounds good…I’ll have to try it with that next time.
Honest Ape- Oh good! I hope she’s not making Asparagus Fro-Yo!!
January 4th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Gorgeous, thanks for the suggestion to look this up. I am definately making this!
January 10th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Hey Jaden I finnaly made the salmon (with some diet modifications) - it is everything you promised and delic even with out the salsa and other garnishes. Check out my diet version http://simplygluten-free.blogspot.com/2008/01/salmon-with-braised-leeks-and-spinach.html
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it twice last week with slight variations, but either way, I simply adore it! The salmon stays flavorful, and the texture is to die for. I posted my version (from your tips) at my blog:
http://www.tomatokumato.com/2008/03/03/slow-cooked-salmon/
Thanks again!
March 14th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Could I recieve a printer friendly version of above salmon recipe ?
This really sounds Good !!!!!
Thanks,
March 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 am
Hello Jayden! Last night I did this recipe for my grandma’s b-day (she’s 82 now) I stressed looking for the jungle boogie seasoning so, I created a sort of rub with your ideas: tropical dried fruit (assorted), mango juice, orange juice, parsley, ginger (not a lot), and salt pepper and garlic powder. Put it in a food processor and their you go. The rest I just followed as you said and left it a little longer in the oven because of the rub and it turned out to be absolutely delish!! And with your tropical rice we truly had a wonderful tropical par-tay!!! Got to your site thru google and you got yourself another fan! thank you for sharing your recipes… p.s. please tell me where to find the jungle boogie season, not only jealosy and envy but having dreams about it (ha,ha) please e-mail me for help!!
April 21st, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I never wrote a comment about recipes before but I just felt compelled to do that today. I cooked this recipes yesterday, without the Jungle Boogie :), and it was fantastic. I never had such tasty salmon before. The colors are amazing and just looking the dish is enough to make you drool. Thanks for sharing such great recipe, this is very generous of you. I also cooked noodles and used the sauce from Citrus Fish recipe by you. I place the noodles, tropical salmon on top of each other and then drizzled the citrus sauce on top. I never had such a yummy salmon dish before even in best restaurants. And that is why I wanted to write this review. Thanks again!
September 21st, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I’m coming to the party late, as I just stumbled upon your site last week. I L-O-V-E salmon, and gave this a whirl tonight. I don’t have any “Jungle Boogie”, but I stumbled across a roasted red pepper and garlic seasoning from Sam’s Club so I figured I’d throw that on there. Three words:
NOM NOM NOM!
My kids, who normally don’t like any fish that doesn’t come in battered stick form, were intrigued enough by the smell to take a small flake to taste. I quickly found myself without enough to eat for dinner!
Thanks for your efforts here. You seem to put quite a lot of effort into your blog, and your humor shines through! Kudos!