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This easy salmon sheet pan dinner is bursting with tangy and herbaceous flavor. Crispy roast potatoes and tender asparagus spears are tossed in a lemon zest-infused brown butter and chopped fresh rosemary, and the salmon is simply seasoned then dressed in lemon juice and brown butter. She's buttery, bright, zesty; an easy and flavorful meal with little work, minimal ingredients, and maximum flavor.
Before the summer rolls in (and my oven barely gets any use!), I wanted to share this absolutely gorgeous sheet pan salmon dinner that is perfect for Mother's Day. We always think of breakfast for mom, but go a little further this time. Make her dinner, too!
This easy sheet pan recipe has you drizzling a really simple browned lemon butter sauce over the salmon and tossing the baby potatoes with herbs and asparagus in it as well. When I say flavor y'all? I mean that.
It's easy and quick enough to make for dinner on your busy weeknights, but special enough to make for a dinner party or spring holiday like Easter, Mother's Day, or just dining al fresco with some good food on the back porch while enjoying this warm weather!
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How to Buy the Best Salmon
Shopping at the grocery store, you will find salmon prepared all types of ways: from canned salmon, to salmon fillets in the seafood cases, to vacuum packed whole fillets with the skin on or off. Here's a few tips on what to look for when buying salmon to cook for dinner.
First, smell your salmon. It shouldn't stink, it definitely should not smell fishy, it shouldn't be off-putting at all.
Next, look at how moist it is. If the flesh is dry, if there is 'gaping' (meaning the flesh is sort of flaking away from itself), or it's starting to brown or curl up around the edges, don't buy it. Salmon should be very moist looking with a vibrant color, not pale. And those colors can vary -- from bright reddish-pink to coral, depending on the breed of salmon.
If you're buying those portioned salmon filets at the seafood case, choose center cut filets. These are thicker, more consistent-sized cuts while the tail ends are flatter and will cook too quickly.
Farm-Raised versus Wild-Caught Salmon
I know farm-raised gets a pretty bad rap. And I'm always one to suggest quality ingredients for the best dishes. Which is why I'll say that thanks to modern technology and a little intel, you can find good-for-you, sustainable, farm-raised salmon. They are grown in many indoor circulation tanks with wastewater treatment systems rather than in marine net pens (those are the ones you want to avoid!).
Wild-caught salmon is exactly that: salmon caught by fishermen in their wild habitat, usually in Alaska or New Zealand. Wild salmon tends to be more intensely flavored, much leaner, and more expensive than farm raised. The actual fat content varies by species (with King salmon being the most fatty (and expensive) wild caught variety), so be careful while cooking it. Even slightly overcook it and it'll be chalky and dry.
Find out which ones you're buying by asking your fishmonger a few questions and looking at labels and asking questions at reputable grocery stores. For more information about the different types of salmon (and other fish!) and what to avoid and what to buy, check out Monterey Bay Aquarium's site Seafood Watch.
Ingredients
A whole salmon fillet. If you're using pre-portioned filets, keep in mind that the timing will be slightly faster.
Salted butter. You can use unsalted if it's all you have, just make sure it's actual butter, not 'buttery spread'. You can't brown that.
Lemons. I used the lemon zest to infuse into the brown butter, and roasted the potatoes with a cut up lemon and charred some lemon slices to serve with. So much flavor.
Fresh asparagus spears. I love, love, love asparagus. One of my green-boi go-tos, especially when it's in season this time of year!
Fresh rosemary. I also added fresh thyme because I had it on hand, but the rosemary is the star of this herb show. Super flavorful. Fresh herbs give this dish that extra oomph, you know?
Garlic cloves. I sliced these up to hide in this midst of the asparagus stalks. You can use garlic powder if you're afraid of them burning, but as long as they're not on top of the asparagus they should be fine.
Baby potatoes. I love using these, they're often bagged up in the grocery store in multiple colors. Bonus points for finding the ones with purple potatoes.
Some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Garlic powder. This is specifically for the salmon. It's simply seasoned with garlic powder, salt and pepper, and a splash of lemon juice before getting drizzled with that brown butter.
Parmigiano Reggiano. Shave off a little parm for serving. So good.
How to Cook this Sheet Pan Salmon Dinner
First thing, make that brown butter and add strips of lemon peel. Make sure there's none of that bitter whiteness on it, you only want the colored skin. That's where all that good lemon flavor is.
Once the butter is deliciously browned, toss those baby potatoes in a little bit of it and some extra-virgin olive oil with some salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.
The potatoes need to be placed in a single, even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. If they're really small you don't have to cut them in half but I like to so I can get really crispy potatoes.
Put them in the oven at 425ºF to get a head start since potatoes do take a while. Let them cook for 20 minutes while you prep the other parts of this easy dinner.
Season the salmon with plenty of salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides.
Snap the woody ends off the asparagus (or cut them off with a sharp knife) and toss with the lemony brown butter, some of the herbs, sliced garlic, and some salt and pepper.
Once the potatoes have a little bit of brown on them, scoot them on to the side of the sheet pan and place the salmon onto the center of the pan. Place the asparagus on a side of the pan and throw it all back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
While that's roasting, I like to make a little side salad, especially when I'm trying to make this a nice healthy meal. And then I'll drizzle the brown butter into the salad because life is about living abundantly.
Fifteen minutes later you've got a whole meal ready for you: a delicious salmon dish with roasted potatoes and roast asparagus, and a little side salad. Tear up some dill to serve with it, drizzle even more brown butter because we're decadent like that, and squeeze on the lemon juice. The whole family will love it.
How to Make Brown Butter
Brown butter sounds like some super fancy, hard to make ingredient like a demi-glace, but it's actually incredibly easy as long as you keep an eye on it.
Put some real butter, not margarine or buttery spread, in a small saucepan or frying pan that is light in color. If it's black, you won't be able to see the milk solids turn brown!
Put the saucepan over medium-low heat and melt the butter. There will be steam whisping up, bubbling happening as the water evaporates, and the milk solids will show up as white clumps within the fat as we go through this process.
After the water evaporates, you'll notice the milk solids start to turn brown at the bottom of your pan and it'll all smell super buttery and nutty. This is what you want! Stir gently with a wooden spoon and place the browned butter in a heat-safe small bowl. You can't keep it in the pan, it will burn.
You want brown butter, not burnt butter, honey!
Variations
Make a delicious garlic butter sauce by adding whole garlic cloves to your butter while you brown the butter. You can also add fresh herb sprigs for even more flavor.
No fresh herbs? Sprinkle on some italian seasoning instead!
Use your favorite vegetable that can stand up to roasting if you can't get your hands on asparagus. Roasted cauliflower or broccoli sounds just as good! Brussels sprouts can be added with the potatoes since they need a long cook time as well. Green beans are so good here as well!
Tips
- For easy clean up, line your large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- It's always better to undercook salmon a little than overcook it at all!
- Salmon and potatoes need a lot of salt, don't be shy with it.
- Leftover salmon can be served cold for a divine salmon salad.
Storing and Reheating
Cooked salmon should be kept in the fridge in an airtight container and eaten within 3 days.
The best way to reheat leftovers is to gently re-warm the fish on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Warm it up, make sure it doesn't overcook.
Other Easy One Pan Meals
Tools I Used in this Recipe
- My Boos cutting board. Love that thing!
- A sharp chef knife for chopping up those herbs.
- Large baking sheets are a must in this recipe.
- Mixing bowls for tossing the potatoes and asparagus in the seasonings and brown butter
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Sheet Pan Brown Butter Salmon with Herb Potatoes and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter
- Peel of 1 lemon
- 1 pound baby potatoes, washed and halved
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, chopped finely
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, chopped finely
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pound salmon fillet, skin removed
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 bunch asparagus, washed and ends snapped
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Parmigiano Reggiano, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a small light-colored saucepan, gently melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the lemon peel. Swirl the pan and stir until the butter solids are browned. Pour the brown butter into a heat-safe bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together the halved baby potatoes, olive oil, rosemary and thyme, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the brown butter. Place the potatoes onto your rimmed baking sheet and into the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- As the potatoes are cooking, season the salmon with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Toss the asparagus with ¼ cup brown butter, a pinch of salt and pepper, and sliced garlic in the same large mixing bowl as the potatoes.
- Once the 20 minutes are finished, pull the sheet pan out of the oven push potatoes to the sides, and place the salmon in the center of the pan. If the salmon is too big, cut it in half.
- Add the asparagus to the pan and put back into the oven for 13-15 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking.
- Serve the salmon, potatoes, and asparagus with lemon wedges for squeezing the juice over them, thin slices of parm, and a healthy drizzle of brown butter. Add a side salad or dinner rolls for a full meal.
Recipe Notes
Tips
- For easy clean up, line your large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- It's always better to undercook salmon a little than overcook it at all!
- Salmon and potatoes need a lot of salt, don't be shy with it.
- Leftover salmon can be served cold for a divine salmon salad.
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