Sheet-pan dinners are the busy cook's best friend, and salmon is the ideal candidate: it roasts in the time it takes the vegetables to soften, and it's almost impossible to ruin. Everything goes on one tray, into the oven, and comes out as a complete meal — flaky fish, blistered tomatoes and tender broccoli, all bathed in lemony, garlicky oil.
Salmon is best a touch underdone in the middle, so pull it out the moment it flakes. It carries on cooking as it rests.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (about 150g each), skin on
- 400g tenderstem broccoli or green beans
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 lemon (half sliced, half for juice)
- 1 tsp dried oregano or a handful of fresh dill
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Chilli flakes, to taste (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (fan 180°C). Line a large baking tray with paper.
- Spread the broccoli and cherry tomatoes on the tray. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, half the garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 8 minutes to give the vegetables a head start.
- Meanwhile, pat the salmon dry and rub with the remaining oil, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and chilli flakes.
- Take the tray out, push the vegetables to the edges, and nestle the salmon fillets skin-side down in the middle. Lay a lemon slice on each fillet.
- Return to the oven for 10–12 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily at its thickest point and the tomatoes have burst.
- Squeeze over the juice of the remaining lemon half and serve straight from the tray.
Cook's notes
- Give the vegetables an 8-minute head start — salmon cooks faster than broccoli, so they need the staggered timing.
- Pull the salmon while the centre is just barely translucent; residual heat finishes it perfectly.
- No broccoli? Asparagus, courgette or thinly sliced potatoes (par-cooked) all work on the same tray.
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