Wild salmon is a healthy and easy protein to feature in sheet pan dinners. Its clean flavor complements a variety of other components that work well in sheet pan dinner recipes. And one of the best parts about it is that the total time it takes to prepare and bake salmon fillets for a variety of recipes is typically less than 20 minutes, making salmon sheet pan dinners a great go-to when you’re short on time.
What Is Sheet Pan Cooking?
Sheet pan cooking is the process of cooking each component of a full meal on a baking tray. It’s an efficient, hands-off way to make satisfying dinners that feature a variety of ingredients.
The cooking time for sheet pan meals can vary, depending on how much time it takes to cook each ingredient. Sheet pan recipes made with wild-caught salmon can be especially fast, as salmon cooks quickly.
Benefits of a Sheet Pan Dinner
Because sheet pan recipes typically streamline the prep, cooking process, and cleanup involved in the kitchen, they tend to be a faster, easier approach to cooking that puts easy dinners within reach, even on busy weeknights.
After all, when you’re cooking everything on a single baking sheet, you won’t have to do much more than arrange your ingredients on a pan, maybe give them a stir part way through cooking, and check on the doneness as it’s finishing up in the oven. And for super easy clean up, just line the baking sheet with aluminum foil so that you won’t have any pan to clean at all.
Another benefit of sheet pan meals is that they can easily be scaled up by using larger baking sheets, or a couple of them, allowing you to feed large groups or rock out meal prep for the next few days like a pro.
The Best Sheet Pan Salmon Recipes for Easy Dinners
Sheet pan salmon recipes are the ultimate no-recipe dinners. Essentially, you can mix and match salmon filets with your favorite veggies, and customize the flavor profile of the meal by integrating your favorite herbs and spices.
Prep time and cook time are minimal for wild salmon — even thick fillets of wild salmon will be cooked perfectly in under 10 minutes. So you’ll have to keep this timing in mind when considering your vegetable options; thin spears of asparagus may be done in around the time it takes for the salmon to cook, while potatoes and Brussels sprouts can require up to 40 minutes of cooking time.
Baked Salmon with Your Choice of Veggies
This sheet pan salmon recipe is going to be your basic template for any combination of ingredients. The only adjustments you’ll need to make, depending on your choice of veggies, is for total cook time so that you can coordinate when you add salmon fillets to the sheet pan; some veggies will need a head start so that they’re done at the same time as the salmon. For reference, tail pieces or thinner cuts of wild salmon will cook in about 6 to 8 minutes, while center cuts can take 8 to 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
Wild salmon fillets
Vegetable of your choice
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon slices
Your favorite condiment: pesto, balsamic glaze, a tahini sauce, tzatziki
-
Preheat oven to 425F. If desired, use aluminum foil to line a rimmed baking sheet.
-
Meanwhile, prep veggies by cutting them down to size if needed, e.g. dicing potatoes, slicing zucchini or peppers, halving thick carrots or Brussels sprouts, etc. Toss veggies in olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then arrange on baking sheet in a single layer.
-
If you’re cooking hearty veggies, e.g. root vegetables or winter squash, allow them to bake on their own until they’re just tender and starting to pick up color — usually at least 30 minutes. If using veggies that are thin or already on the tender side, they may only need a 5 to 10 minute head start. Set your timer accordingly, and check on vegetables once or twice as they cook, stirring them or giving the pan a shake to ensure even browning.
-
Once the vegetables have just become tender and slightly browned, remove baking sheet from oven. Pat dry salmon fillets with paper towel or tea towel to remove any excess moisture, then lightly coat all sides of the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange skin side down onto baking sheet, pushing aside vegetables to make space if needed. Top fillets with lemon slices.
-
Return baking sheet to oven, then set timer: 6 minutes for thinner fillets, and 8 minutes for thicker ones. Check on doneness of everything on the sheet pan when timer goes off; the salmon fillets are medium-rare when they just begin to flake easily with a fork, or register at 120F. Allow the fish to cook for another 2 minutes if not quite done.
-
If the veggies and salmon fillets aren’t done at the same time — if at any point the veggies look done but the salmon isn’t, or vice versa — simply transfer the finished components to a serving platter and cover to keep warm while remaining ingredients finish cooking. Remove skin from salmon if desired, then serve the fish and veggies alongside a small bowl of your favorite condiment.
Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon and Asparagus
For a full-flavored sheet pan meal that’s finished fast, pair up wild salmon with asparagus. Look for thin spears of asparagus, as they bake quickly enough so that you don’t need to stagger cook times: Thinner asparagus can go onto the baking sheet at the same time as the salmon, while thicker spears may need a few minutes extra in the oven.
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter
Fresh lemon juice
Garlic, minced
Wild salmon fillets
Thin spears of asparagus
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
-
Preheat oven to 425F. If desired, use aluminum foil to line a rimmed baking sheet.
-
Use your microwave to melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a small bowl (about 1 tablespoon for every 12 ounces of salmon), then stir in a couple garlic cloves’ worth of minced garlic. Squeeze juice from half a lemon into melted butter mixture.
-
Pat dry salmon fillets with paper towel or tea towel to remove excess moisture. Season salmon and asparagus with salt and pepper, then arrange both on baking sheet. Pour lemon garlic butter over both and toss to coat. Set timer for 6 minutes for thinner fillets, and 8 minutes for thicker ones.
-
Check on doneness of salmon when timer goes off; the salmon fillets are medium-rare when they just begin to flake easily with a fork, or register at 120F. Allow the fish to cook for another 2 minutes if not quite done. When cooked to your liking, transfer to a serving platter and enjoy while hot.
Sheet Pan Ginger Roasted Salmon with Broccoli
Toss wild salmon and broccoli with grated ginger, garlic, and a soy-honey combo for a zingy, sweet, and savory salmon sheet pan meal. You’ll need to roast the broccoli for 10 minutes or so before adding salmon to the pan so that it has time to soften and caramelize.
Ingredients:
Neutral oil
Honey or maple syrup
A teaspoon or so of ginger, grated
A couple garlic cloves, minced
Toasted sesame seeds
Pinch of red chili flakes
Soy sauce
A couple heads of broccoli, cut into small florets
Wild salmon fillets
Chopped cilantro, for serving
-
Preheat oven to 425F. If desired, use aluminum foil to line a rimmed baking sheet.
-
In a small bowl, mix a tablespoon or two of neutral oil with a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup, grated ginger, minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, and red chili flakes. Season to taste with a splash of soy sauce and add more honey or maple syrup if desired. Set aside.
-
Spread broccoli florets into single layer on baking sheet and drizzle with half of ginger-soy mixture to coat. Bake for 10 minutes.
-
Place salmon in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining ginger-soy mixture over fillets. Allow to marinate while broccoli bakes.
-
Meanwhile, pat dry salmon fillets with paper towel or tea towel to remove excess moisture. When timer goes off, remove baking sheet from oven. Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towel or tea towel to remove excess marinade. Arrange fillets skin side down onto baking sheet, pushing aside broccoli to make space if needed. Then set timer for 6 minutes for thinner fillets, and 8 minutes for thicker ones.
-
Check on doneness of salmon when timer goes off; the salmon fillets are medium-rare when they just begin to flake easily with a fork, or register at 120F. Allow the fish to cook for another 2 minutes if not quite done. When cooked to your liking, transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and extra sesame seeds if desired, then serve while warm.
Rosemary Roasted Salmon with Asparagus and Potatoes
Sheet pan salmon and potatoes need a bit more time to make than other sheet pan recipes, since potatoes are a particularly dense root vegetable. Pairing up the potatoes with asparagus is an easy way to bring in a bit of variety so that the sheet pan meal isn’t so starch heavy.
You can use either sweet potatoes or red potatoes, depending on your taste. Regardless of which you prefer, keep in mind that the smaller you dice the potatoes, the faster they’ll roast.
Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
Dijon mustard or whole grain mustard
Fresh or dried rosemary
Shallots, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Your choice of potatoes, diced
Thin asparagus spears
Wild salmon fillets
-
Preheat oven to 425F. If desired, use aluminum foil to line a rimmed baking sheet.
-
In a small bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil with a teaspoon or two of mustard, a tablespoon or more of finely chopped shallots, and rosemary. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes on baking sheet, then toss in dijon-rosemary mixture to coat. Roast for 30 minutes until potatoes begin to get crispy, shaking pan or stirring potatoes once or twice to ensure even browning. Cook for another 10 minutes if not yet browned.
-
Once potatoes are nearly done cooking, remove baking sheet from oven. Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towel or tea towel to remove excess moisture. Season salmon and asparagus spears with salt and pepper, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to coat. Push potatoes aside on the baking sheet to make room, then arrange salmon skin side down and asparagus in a single layer. Return baking sheet to oven. Set timer for 6 minutes for thinner fillets, and 8 minutes for thicker ones.
-
Check on doneness of salmon when timer goes off; the salmon fillets are medium-rare when they just begin to flake easily with a fork, or register at 120F. Allow the fish to cook for another 2 minutes if not quite done. When cooked to your liking, transfer to a serving platter. Serve while warm.
What additional items can accompany your main dish?
-
Fresh herbs and vibrant spices, tossed with your sheet pan meal, can completely change the flavor profile of the entire meal. Try sprinkling everything in curry powder, a Moroccan spice blend, herbs de provence, or a Mexican-inspired mix of chili-cumin-chipotle.
-
Try using sheet pan meals to cook the building blocks for sandwiches, tacos, rice bowls, and more. Choose your favorite fillings and toppings for pita pockets, rolls, tortillas, and grains, then get roasting.
-
For fast meals, stick to finer, tender veggies like zucchini, green beans, asparagus, and halved cherry tomatoes; these will all cook in about the time it takes to cook wild salmon. For nights when you have time to spare, nurse a glass of white wine while steadily roasting a combination of onions, shallots, and garlic until they caramelize for a richer, more decadent flavor profile to your meal.
Sheet Pan Salmon Health Benefits
Wild salmon is a lean source of clean protein, low in saturated fats and carbohydrates. Like many other varieties of fish and shellfish, salmon is packed with vitamin B12 and vitamin D — around twice the recommended daily intake of each of these nutrients. Wild salmon is also notably rich in omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA. Omega-3 fatty acids, especially these two fatty acids, are essential nutrients with anti-inflammatory properties that fend off oxidative stress and support heart health. Pairing this protein powerhouse with a colorful, diverse combination of vegetables in sheet pan meals makes it easy to load up your baking sheets with ingredients that are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and other essential nutrients.
This expansive nutritional profile makes salmon sheet pan meals a great option to integrate into a variety of diets that help to reduce blood cholesterol levels, support heart health, maintain a healthy weight, and lower the incidence of chronic illnesses.
Get Access to the Best Wild-Caught Salmon
To explore the endless possibilities of salmon sheet pan dinners, be sure to stock your kitchen with sustainably-caught wild salmon by signing up for a fish subscription box from Wild Alaskan Company. By becoming a member of Wild Alaskan Company, you’ll get access to the best high-quality wild-caught salmon, delivered straight to your doorstep each month (or whenever is most convenient for you). Learn more about how a Wild Alaskan Company membership works by visiting our homepage.
