sheet-pan spring salmon
dill! asparagus! warm weather is HERE!
Click here for the WTC meal index, and scroll to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of this recipe!
**1am edit the morning before publication: I wrote this newsletter three days ago, and it’s positively comical to read it now, given that I just spent the day in the SNOW in Linville, North Carolina. So, enjoy this poorly timed email about hot weather! No time to rewrite it now!**
It’s always a bit of a challenge to capture the collective food mood of all of my readers, seeing as how we are spread out across not just the United States, but also Ireland, Sweden, England, and Costa Rica — just to name a few international locations from which readers have tagged recipes! Also, I live in California, so I have absolutely zero pulse on typical seasonal weather trends.
So when I’m about to make a sweeping claim such as “warm weather is here!” I do the only logical thing: I open up the Weather app on my iPhone and check the weather where I live (Carmel Valley, CA) and where my parents and sister live (Winston-Salem, NC). If they are both trending toward severely frigid: We make soup. If they are both getting hot: We make hot weather food.
And this salmon platter is objectively hot weather food.
Why?
Because I actually love it most served at room temperature.
Meaning: You can cook this whenever it is most convenient for you, throw it on a platter, then refrigerate it until it’s time to eat.
This is a newsletter about dinner, but this is actually a lovely lunch meal (shoutout to my friend’s mama, Randi, who cooked this for us last weekend and inspired this recipe!). It would also be fantastic for an Easter or Passover celebration since it can be assembled entirely ahead of time.
The best part, other than the perfectly cooked salmon and vegetables, is the dilly sauce that we dip absolutely everything into. Mayo (or yogurt!), Dijon, lemon juice, dill — it is a bright spring-y sauce that you’ll find yourself making over and over again.
one caveat
OK, one thing though. I wrote this as a sheet-pan meal since my mission with WTC is to make dinnertime as easy as possible. BUT: I actually prefer the potatoes boiled instead of roasted if you’re planning to serve this meal at room temperature (rather than warm, right when it comes out of the oven). It’s still delicious either way, but room temperature boiled potatoes are a lot tastier to me than room temperature roasted potatoes.
To boil them: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the halved potatoes and cook until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and allow them to cool in the colander.
let’s talk about albumin (AKA that white stuff that leaks out of salmon)
First of all: It’s totally normal. It’s called albumin and it is a protein that’s in salmon. It’s always there, it just leaks out more or less based on how you cook your salmon. If you cook it on a low temperature, you’re less likely to see it. If you cook it in higher heat (like today’s recipe), you’re more likely to see it.
The important thing is that as soon as you see it, stop cooking the salmon. Just scrape the albumin off before you serve and you’re ready to go.
which asparagus do I buy?!
I never, ever like “pencil thin” asparagus — as in, the really skinny ones. I find them to be very fibrous (AKA stringy) and nearly impossible to cook perfectly.
I like “medium” asparagus, and I also like the big fat boys. For this recipe, “medium” will work best (see photo) but you can also use the really large ones — you just might need to remove the salmon from the oven (just transfer it to the serving platter or individual plates) and keep cooking the asparagus for a couple more minutes.
adjust this recipe to feed less or more people
To feed two people, only cook two salmon filets, but go ahead and cook the same amount of veggies to have delicious leftovers for lunches. You can also easily scale this recipe up to feed a crowd. Just use more sheet pans and cook the potatoes alone on their own pan.
sheet-pan spring salmon
Serves 4 (but can be adjusted to feed as many as you want!)
~45 minutes
Tools:
Your largest rimmed sheet pan
Parchment paper or foil
Microplane (or grater)
Serving bowl (for sauce)
Serving platter (if you’re going to serve it at room temp)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes (fingerling or any little potato), halved lengthwise
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large organic lemon (Meyer lemon, if you can find them)
3 tablespoons finely chopped dill (but go ahead and chop up 5 tablespoons — you will need 2 more for the sauce)
1 bunch asparagus (see paragraph above for a size explanation!)
4 (6-ounce) salmon filets (skin on or off — doesn’t matter; buy the biggest, thickest filets and make sure they’re all about the same size)
2 tablespoons finely minced chives (but go ahead and chop up 3 tablespoons — you need 1 more for the sauce!)
Dilly Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Zest and juice of 1 large organic lemon
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
1 tablespoon finely minced chives
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line your largest rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil; I just prefer parchment).
Place 1 1/2 pounds of halved baby potatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Spread them out so that they are not touching.
Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
While the potatoes are roasting, prep 1 bunch asparagus by chopping 1 1/2 inches off of the bottom.
Why? Because they are tough and fibrous! Note: A lot of people prefer the method where you snap off the bottom with your hands instead of cutting it, but I am not one of those people. Time is of the essence.
Now make the dilly sauce: Combine all ingredients (1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, the zest and juice of 1 large organic lemon, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill, 1 tablespoon finely minced chives) in a pretty serving bowl.
After the potatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet from oven.
Scooch the potatoes all to one side — it’s OK if they’re touching now. In the middle of the sheet pan, add the salmon filets and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a big pinch of salt and pepper, the zest of half a lemon, the juice of half a lemon, and 1 tablespoon dill (depending on how much dill ya like you can add more here if you want!). Use your hands to rub it in all over the salmon. The salmon filets can be touching — this will actually help them cook evenly!
Note for the parents out there: If “green things” are “yucky” to your beasts (children), I suggest leaving the dill off of the salmon here — and off the potatoes in a later step — to prevent herb-induced meltdowns.
Add the trimmed asparagus to the remaining empty spot on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and toss to coat.
Return the baking sheet to the oven to roast for 12 to 15 minutes. At the 12-minute mark, you’re going to peek inside. If the salmon is leaking white stuff, it’s finished! But it’s also a good idea to use a meat thermometer here. I like my salmon medium-rare (125°F) but you might like yours medium (135°) to medium-well (140°F). Do not surpass 140°! This is where salmon gets dry and chalky.
Toss the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped dill, 1 tablespoon minced chives, and juice of 1/2 lemon into the potatoes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle the rest of the chives over the asparagus and salmon.
If you’re eating immediately: Divide the salmon and vegetables between four plates, drizzle with the sauce (or serve it on the side — it’s good on everything), and dig in!
If you’re eating later: Throw everything on a pretty platter and refrigerate until meal time. Pull it out of the fridge 30 minutes before eating so that it comes to room temperature.
Notes:
Leftovers are a great thing: If you have leftover salmon, make salmon salad! Throw the filets into a bowl. Stir in a small amount of dilly sauce at a time, mixing it with and shredding the salmon with your fork, until it holds together like tuna salad. You can add thinly sliced celery, but it’s delicious without! Thanks to my friend Bob for this leftovers tip!
Make it a niçoise: by adding soft-boiled eggs, olives, and some mixed greens to the platter.
Make ahead: Like I said, this is a great make-ahead situation. You can make the whole meal earlier in the day then pull it out for 30 minutes before mealtime to bring it to room temp! You could also of course prep your veggies and make the sauce a day (or even two days!) ahead of when you plan to cook.
If you’re feeding kids: I find that serving meals like this on a platter helps to give them “authority” over the situation. I let them “choose” their vegetable (potatoes and/or asparagus), then “choose” whether they want a whole or half piece of salmon. I serve it with the dilly sauce and ketchup. To be transparent: Calum (19 months) devoured this meal. Mattis (3) only ate the potatoes. Toddlers 😑
Vegetarian: I love the idea of a vegetarian niçoise salad. Cook the potatoes, asparagus, and dilly sauce as written, and serve them on a bed of greens (arugula, spinach, mixed greens, whatever!) with some hard- or soft-boiled eggs, olives, and any other veggie you’ve got (cucumber, tomatoes, etc.). You could add some cooked peas — or maybe some drained, rinsed, and roasted chickpeas — for added protein. Yum!
What’s with the organic lemon? Anytime I’m zesting lemons (or any citrus for that matter) I try to buy organic. Organic lemons are also typically larger than conventional, so you’ll get more zest and more juice. Obviously non-organic is a fine swap for this recipe if needed!
Gf/df: This meal is both gluten and dairy free as written!
Substitutions:
Potatoes: Fingerling, baby Dutch… you can use whatever small potato your store/market carries. I do not like baby blue potatoes FYI — I find them to be very dry. As long as they’re small, they will roast well as written. If you don’t like or can’t find small potatoes, you can always cook the salmon and asparagus and serve them alongside something else like rice, a baked potato, or mashed potatoes.
EVOO: Olive oil or another neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado, etc.)
Garlic powder: 2-4 minced fresh garlic cloves (depending on how much you like!)
Organic lemon: Meyer lemons are the best-tasting option. See the note above about why I’m specifying organic for this. That said, conventional will be fine if needed.
Dill: Chervil, tarragon, thyme, parsley, or any other soft green herb will work!
Asparagus: Don’t like ‘em? You can sub in French green beans, broccoli, snap peas, leeks… or pretty much whatever veggie you love.
Salmon filets: You can definitely substitute another kind of fish for this — good options are halibut, bass, arctic char, grouper. If you don’t do fish, you can swap in chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts need to cook for between 15 and 18 minutes at 400°F (or until they reach 165°F), so adjust the time that you add the meat to the sheet pan accordingly! If you have another type of chicken in your freezer or fridge, Google its recommended cook time at 400°F and add them to the pan at the appropriate time! See notes section for a vegetarian idea.
Chives: Chervil, tarragon, thyme, parsley, or any other soft green herb will work!
Mayonnaise: Plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or any version of mayonnaise you want (like vegenaise)
Dijon mustard: Yellow mustard works. Or 1 teaspoon mustard powder (but stir the lemon juice into it first to make it combine easier into the mayo). Or if you hate mustard, you can skip it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you use the printer-version PDFs, you likely noticed the letterhead mix up last week. I have the pleasure of editing a few Substack newsletters and accidentally added the wrong logo to Caroline’s beef bulgogi bowls PDF. Apologies for any confusion, and please click here for an updated, accurately attributed PDF for your records!! -Molly
This was a huge hit at my house! My toddler ate everything (salmon, potatoes, asparagus, sauce) and even said GOOD JOB MAMA so I am on cloud nine right now :). fyi - I ended up making this with baby blue potatoes and they turned out great.
This was soooo good! And I’ve never gotten salmon exactly right, so your tip was KEY!! It was perfect! And although I loved the sauce, to keep it lighter, we ate it without and it was STILL delicious!! Thank you!!