Chef John's Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon

Ingredients

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard 
• 1 tablespoon ground pepper black
• 2 tablespoons juice of lemon 
• 1.5 tablespoons mayonnaise 
• 1 tablespoon miso paste yellow
• 16 ounce center-cut salmon fillets 
• 2 servings sea salt to taste

Equipment

• bowl
• baking sheet
• baking paper
• oven
• whisk
• plastic wrap

Directions

1. Whisk together lemon juice and black pepper in small bowl.
2. Add mayonnaise, miso paste, Dijon mustard, and cayenne pepper to lemon-pepper mixture; whisk together.
3. Spread the lemon-pepper mixture over salmon fillets. Reserve about a tablespoon for later use.
4. Cover salmon with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
6. Place fillets on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Spread remaining lemon-pepper mixture on fillets without letting it pool around base.
8. Sprinkle with a pinch more black pepper and a generous amount of sea salt.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.