Salmon Sheet Pan dinner
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This 30-minute, salmon sheet pan dinner is the perfect mid-week solution for busy families. It’s a healthy oven-baked meal featuring mouth-watering, lemon garlic-butter salmon with tender asparagus. So tender. So good!
PIN SHEET PAN SALMON AND ASPARAGUS
Most New Years resolutions include plans for healthier eating, and spending more quality time with the family. This flavorful salmon and asparagus sheet pan dinner checks both of these boxes.
There’s so much to love about this healthy nourishing meal. It’s a warm, comforting dinner that really satisfies. It comes together quickly with simple ingredients. The foil-lined baking tray makes clean-up a breeze.
This salmon sheet pan dinner can easily feed a family of 4. But for larger appetites, it can be enjoyed as a hearty meal for 2. If needed, upscale the quantity of ingredients to serve a larger crowd.
To make things even tastier, serve salmon and asparagus with fresh homemade tartar sauce garnished with dill. Complete the meal with this elevated Jiffy cornbread recipe.
For adult dinner parties, pair lemon salmon with a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc.
INGREDIENTS
- Center-cut salmon filets (6 ounces each)
- Baby asparagus
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Lemons (for juice and fresh slices)
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh thyme
- Sea salt
- Lemon pepper
- GARNISH: Fresh Italian parsley
easy ingredient substitutions
Missing an ingredient for this salmon sheet pan dinner? Don’t put on your shoes and head to the market. Instead, head to your fridge or pantry. Check for these easy ingredient swaps.
It’s convenient and money-saving to use ingredients you already have on hand! Especially during stay-at-home times.
- Baby Asparagus: Sub with baby potatoes and vine-ripened cherry tomatoes. Or try broccoli florets, baby carrots and yellow zucchini.
- Olive Oil: Replace this ingredient with more melted butter.
- Fresh Lemons: Use bottled lemon juice or lime juice. If you have them on hand, use fresh limes for serving and squeezing.
- Garlic Cloves: Sub with 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Fresh Thyme: Sub with a combination of fresh parsley and fresh dill.
- Lemon Pepper: Use ground black pepper instead.
recipe steps
RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil to prevent the salmon from sticking to the surface, and for easy clean-up.
- STEP 1: Place pieces of salmon and lemon slices on one half of the baking tray. Trim off woody ends from the baby asparagus. Arrange the veggies on the other end of the tray.
- STEP 2: In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, melted butter, lemon juice, minced garlic, minced thyme, sea salt and lemon pepper. Generously brush salmon and asparagus with the lemon garlic-butter mixture. Sprinkle fish and veggies with sea salt and lemon pepper.
- STEP 3: Roast the salmon sheet pan dinner for 10 minutes. Flip over the asparagus spears. Roast an additional 5 minutes or until asparagus is fork tender. Remove veggies from the tray.
- STEP 4: Return tray of salmon to the oven. Broil 2 to 3 minutes on high heat, or until it’s cooked through and the top is golden brown and crisp.
HOW TO SERVE SALMON SHEET PAN DINNER
Arrange salmon and asparagus over fluffy white rice. Drizzle remaining lemon garlic-butter mixture over the fish and veggies. Garnish with freshly-chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy immediately.
RECIPE FAQ
These are the most commonly asked questions when making a lemon sheet pan dinner. Included are the most helpful answers for recipe success.
Add a few tablespoons of a crisp white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc, to the lemon garlic-butter mixture.
Raw salmon is translucent red. As it cooks the color changes to opaque pink. After cooking 8 to 10 minutes, it should be tender, juicy, and begin to flake. Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. The temperature of cooked salmon is between 110°F and 140°F. For rare fish: 110°F to 125°F. For medium rare to well-done: 125°F to 140°F.
Place the cooked salmon in an airtight container. It’ll stay fresh in the fridge for up to 1 day. Reheating fish will often dry it out. To help prevent this, whisk together more lemon butter sauce. Drizzle it over the salmon before reheating in the oven or in a skillet on stovetop.
MORE EASY HEALTHY DINNERS
If you enjoy easy healthy meals like sheet pan lemon-garlic salmon, you’ll also want to make these nourishing dinners. Each is a time-tested recipe that comes together quickly. Add one or more to your weekly meal plan.
- Healthy Burrito Bowl
- Roasted Cornish Hen
- Spicy Grilled Lime Shrimp
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
- New Orleans Jambalaya
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- New Orleans Red Beans and Rice
- Minestrone Soup
RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This lemon garlic-butter salmon and asparagus was served at a dinner party. Friends and family shared how much they enjoyed this flavorful meal. Everyone wanted the recipe for this easy, healthy sheet pan dinner!
If you too loved this delicious sheet pan salmon and veggies, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero! Share it with a friend.
Salmon Sheet Pan dinner
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Description
Get ready to salivate over this delicious salmon sheet pan dinner! Healthy salmon and fork-tender asparagus are drizzled in a luscious lemon-garlic-butter sauce. This dish is garnished with fresh herbs and slices of lemon.
Ingredients
- 2 center-cut salmon filets (6 ounces each)
- 3/4 pound baby asparagus, with ends trimmed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- Sea salt, as desired
- Lemon pepper, as desired
- 4 slices fresh lemon
GARNISH: Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil to prevent the salmon from sticking to the surface, and for easy clean-up.
- Place pieces of salmon and lemon slices on one half of the baking tray. Trim off woody ends from the baby asparagus. Arrange the veggies on the other end of the tray.
- In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, melted butter, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, sea salt and lemon pepper. Generously brush salmon and asparagus with the mixture. Sprinkle fish and veggies with sea salt and lemon pepper.
- Roast the salmon sheet pan dinner for 10 minutes. Flip over the asparagus spears. Roast an additional 5 minutes or until asparagus is fork tender. Remove veggies from the tray.
- Return salmon to the oven. Broil 2 to 3 minutes on high heat, or until it’s cooked through and the top is golden brown and crisp.
HOW TO SERVE THIS SHEET PAN DINNER: Arrange salmon and asparagus over fluffy white rice. Drizzle remaining lemon garlic-butter mixture over the fish and veggies. Garnish with freshly-chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Notes
HOW TO TELL IF SALMON IS FULLY COOKED: Raw salmon is translucent red. As it cooks the color changes to an opaque pink. After cooking 8 to 10 minutes, it should be tender, juicy, and begin to flake. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. The temperature of cooked salmon is between 110°F and 140°F. For rare fish: 110°F to 125°F. For medium rare to well-done: 125°F to 140°F.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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