4 small red-skinned potatoes (about 1/2 pound), scrubbed and quartered

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Put the potatoes in a medium-size saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover by an inch. Bring to a boil, and then cook at an active simmer for 10 minutes. Add the carrot and onions and cook until all of the vegetables are just tender, about five minutes more. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the white wine, clam juice, and two tablespoons of the Pernod. Bring to a boil and boil until the mixture is reduced to about two tablespoons, about seven minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

While the vegetables are cooking and the sauce is reducing, measure the thickness of the salmon and season with salt and pepper. Combine the olive oil, the remaining one teaspoon Pernod and the fines herbes (or parsley-tarragon combo); rub the mixture all over the salmon. Place in a shallow baking dish, tucking under any thin edges so that the fillets are as uniform in thickness as possible. Roast until the fish flakes easily but is still glistening in the center, four to six minutes per 1/2-inch of thickness.

When the fish is just about done, reheat the sauce. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables. Cook, gently tossing, until the vegetables are warm.

Spoon the vegetables and sauce into two warmed shallow bowls, arranging the vegetables toward the rim. Place the salmon in the center of the bowl. Sprinkle with fines herbes or parsley and serve.