Scandinavian Midsummer Celebration — with Salmon recipe!

Midsummer, also called the solstice, marks the beginning of the summer season.  This longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere is cause for a celebration, especially in the Scandinavian nations.  I spent one summer in Norway – Land of the Midnight Sun – and loved to tell my Norwegian mother before going out, “I’ll be home when it gets dark.”

This year it occurs on June 20^th, but is sometimes celebrated the weekend after the actual solstice.  The holiday is one of the most-anticipated events of the year, and is marked by bonfires, eating delicious food, dancing, and drinking (natch).

Herbs harvested during midsummer were thought to be highly potent, and have healing properties.  Here I offer my Herbalicious Salmon recipe from The Tamara Twist.

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Herbalicious Salmon

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Dinner

By Tamara Berg – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 15-30 minutes – Total Time: 40 minutes

Easy, fragrant and delicious. Make this recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Salmon Filet
• 1 lemon
• 1/3 C olive oil
• 1/2 C fresh dill, chopped
• 1/3 C fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 C dry white wine
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 425°. Rinse and lay fish in a roasting dish, season with salt and pepper.

2

Zest one lemon into a bowl. Add the juice of the lemon and olive oil, and whisk to combine.

3

Pour lemon/oil mixture over the salmon.

4

Toss together the herbs and onions, and sprinkle over filet. Pour white wine over the whole fish.

5

Place uncovered in oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your filet. You can tell it’s nearly done when you put a knife into the thickest part of the fish, and it’s almost opaque to the center.

6

Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for a few minutes.

7

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve. Enjoy!!

Notes

Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, this recipe works with any salmon variety, so just choose your favorite.

Celebrating Midsummer began as a pagan holiday, and many of the traditions from those times prevail.  Thought to be the most “fertile” day of the year, mock weddings symbolic of new life, are a tradition for both adults and children.  Also thought to be a time when evil spirits are close, bonfires are burned to protect revelers from malicious powers.  Folklore says that if a girl sleeps with flowers under her pillow on this night, she will dream of her future husband.

So have a drink, eat some salmon, and enjoy this longest day of the year.  Skol!