A one-pan meal that makes cleanup easy! Ready in 20 minutes, one salmon fillet is topped with garlic herb butter and baked along with asparagus on a single sheet pan.
This sheet pan salmon recipe is a dish I crave at the end of a long day. It's truly a dinner dream come true - the entire meal bakes in the oven on one pan and comes out ready to eat in about 15 minutes.
What Is Sheet Pan Cooking?
Sheet pan cooking is the process of cooking an entire meal on a single baking tray or sheet pan. It's an efficient, hands-off way to make an intensely satisfying meal.
Cleanup is easy because you just have one pan to clean. When you're cooking everything on a single baking sheet, you typically won't have much more to do other than arrange the ingredients on a pan, top them with seasonings, oil, or butter, and cook.
Another benefit to sheet pan meals is that they can be easily scaled up to serve more people.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooks quickly: The salmon bakes at 425°F, which makes for a tender, buttery fillet that cooks quickly.
- Incredibly delicious: We top our salmon with softened butter mixed with a little olive oil and seasonings. As the salmon bakes, the butter melts and adds such an amazing flavor to the juicy salmon. Our baked salmon recipe delivers a tender piece of salmon with beautifully charred crisp edges. It's a wonderful restaurant-quality meal!
- Doubles well: If you'd like to bake a larger piece of salmon or two salmon fillets, just double the ingredients in this recipe.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
To make a delightful baked salmon for one person, you will need:
- Salmon: Use 1 (4-5-ounce) salmon fillet.
- Butter: We use 1 tablespoon of salted butter.
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this sheet pan salmon recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains a more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It's my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use lighter olive oil instead.
- Seasonings: I use dried basil, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Asparagus: 7-8 thin asparagus spears seem to be the perfect amount. Thin, young asparagus spears are more tender and tastier than larger stalks. Thin asparagus cooks for the same amount of time as the salmon. Be sure to trim the ends before cooking.
- Lemon juice: Fresh or bottled lemon juice added to the top of the salmon and asparagus after baking adds a wonderful fresh flavor.
What Is The Best Kind Of Salmon To Buy?
Loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fats, salmon is one of the most popular, healthy, and delicious types of fish. As with any fish, buy the best salmon you can find and afford.
- Sockeye: Also called red salmon, sockeye salmon is stronger in flavor and lower in fat than other varieties.
- Coho: This type of salmon has a mild taste, a delicate texture, and a medium fat content.
- King: Also called chinook salmon, king salmon is the highest in fat. It has a silky texture and is the largest of the Pacific salmon. It is often the most expensive type of salmon.
- Atlantic salmon: If purchased in the United States, Atlantic salmon is mostly farmed. This is the type of pale orange salmon commonly found in supermarkets year-round.
How To Buy Salmon
Look for vibrant fish at the store. Moisture content is a great indicator of freshness and how carefully the fish was handled so make sure the salmon appears moist instead of dried out.
Avoid salmon with any browning or "gaping", where flakes at the cut edges of the fish begin to separate from each other.
Consider buying frozen salmon. Plenty of frozen fish is put on ice on boats right after it is caught to preserve its freshness. You shouldn't be afraid to buy frozen if you trust the source. In fact, when cooking for one, it can be less expensive to purchase frozen salmon fillets and pull one out anytime you want to enjoy baked salmon for a meal.
How To Make Sheet Pan Salmon For One Person
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Heat the oven to 425° F (220° C).
- In a small bowl, stir together softened butter, olive oil, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set the bowl aside.
- Wash the asparagus under cold running water to get all of the dirt and grit off of them. Pat them dry with a towel.
- Break off the tough ends of the asparagus. You can trim asparagus either of two ways:
To cut asparagus with a knife: Line the asparagus on a cutting board and with a sharp knife cut off the end where the stalk turns from white to green.
To cut asparagus with a snap: Hold a few of the asparagus in your hand at a time and bend the stalk until it snaps. It will snap off where the asparagus starts to get woody.
- Place the asparagus on the baking sheet and toss them with ½ teaspoon of olive oil. Spread out the asparagus in one layer.
- Lightly coat the opposite side of the baking sheet with a tiny bit of olive oil and place the salmon skin side down on the oiled area. Spoon the softened butter mixture over the top of the salmon.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the asparagus are tender and the salmon is cooked. If the asparagus needs a little more time to cook, transfer the salmon to a platter, cover, and return the baking sheet back to the oven and cook until the salmon is tender.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over the asparagus and salmon after baking.
Pro Tip: You will know when your salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork. You can also check the fish for doneness with an instant read thermometer. The FDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 145°F, which should be measured at the thickest part of the fillet. However, Cook's Illustrated notes that 120° F is the preferred temperature for wild salmon and 125° F for farmed salmon. I cook my salmon to 135° F.
Expert Tips
- Feel free to add your favorite herbs and spices to this salmon to make it your own.
- Invest in an inexpensive oven thermometer which makes cooking fish, chicken, and meat so much easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cover and store leftover salmon in the refrigerator. It will keep well for up to 5 days and can be reheated in the microwave or enjoyed cold.
Rub a little olive oil on the section of the sheet pan where the salmon will be. This will keep it from sticking to the pan.
Yes, just keep in mind that other vegetables may take longer to cook. You may find that you need to remove the salmon from the pan after it has cooked through, cover the salmon and return the vegetables to the oven to finish cooking.
I like adding whole cherry or grape tomatoes and thick, chopped onions to my asparagus. These cook for about the same amount of time as thin asparagus.
As mentioned above, The FDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 145°F, which should be measured at the thickest part of the fillet. I personally like to cook salmon to 135°F.
Although I highly recommend using a thermometer, if you don't have one, you can see if your salmon is done by gently pressing down on top of the fillet. The flesh should easily separate when gently pressed with a fork or your finger. Also, if you peek inside the salmon, the center should no longer look raw.
Serving Suggestions
You might like to consider serving any of these single serving side dishes with your baked salmon:
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this sheet pan salmon recipe, you might like to use them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Salmon: Baked Salmon in Foil, Roasted Salmon with Maple and Mustard, Salmon Rice Bowl
- Dried basil: Spaghetti and Meatballs, Ratatouille
- Asparagus: Roasted Potato and Asparagus Crustless Quiche
If you’ve tried this sheet pan salmon recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Sheet Pan Salmon for One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salted butter ,softened
- 1 teaspoon olive oil , divided
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 7-8 thin asparagus spears
- 1 (4 to 5-ounce) salmon fillet
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- In a small bowl, stir together softened butter, ½ teaspoon of olive oil, basil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Set the bowl aside.
- Wash the asparagus under cold running water to get all of the dirt and grit off of them. Pat them dry with a towel.
- Break off the tough ends of the asparagus. You can trim asparagus either of two ways:To cut asparagus with a knife: Line the asparagus on a cutting board and with a sharp knife cut off the end where the stalk turns from white to green.To cut asparagus with a snap: Hold a few of the asparagus in your hand at a time and bend the stalk until it snaps. It will snap off where the asparagus starts to get woody.
- Place the asparagus on the baking sheet and toss them with ½ teaspoon of olive oil. Spread out the asparagus in one layer.
- Lightly coat the opposite side of the baking sheet with about ⅛ teaspoon of olive oil and place the salmon skin side down on the oiled area. Spoon the softened butter mixture over the top of the salmon.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the asparagus are tender and the salmon is cooked. If the asparagus needs a little more time to cook, transfer the salmon to a platter, cover, and return the baking sheet back to the oven and cook until the salmon is tender.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over the asparagus and salmon after baking.
Notes
- Feel free to add your favorite herbs and spices to this salmon to make it your own.
- Invest in an inexpensive oven thermometer which makes cooking fish, chicken, and meat so much easier.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
CJinUSA says
Made this tonight x2. DH gave it a 9.5/10 (10 must knock his socks off). I gave it a 10.0/10 for ease of prep to presentation. Made it as written and it came out perfect! Dessert was lemon sorbet sprinkled with fresh blueberries. Will be a great addition to What's for Dinner this summer. Thank you.
Ms. Anne says
I made this for dinner this evening and it was delidelicious. I added onion and garlic powder and cooked it in the air fryer. This was a fast and heathy complete real. I will certainly be making this again.
Joanie Zisk says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Nickie says
Joanie, could I make this in a cast iron skillet in the griill? It is really hot in Denver right now so I’m looking for meals that don’t use the oven
Joanie Zisk says
Yes, you certainly can.
Ashlyn says
Absolutely delicious! I need to make seafood more often.
Joanie says
Thank you, Ashlyn.
Kelley says
Love this recipe Joanie! So good!
Joanie says
Thanks, Kelley. I hope sun comes your way soon 🙂
Tonia says
This just screams summer! I love the asparagus under the salmon and the simple seasonings.
Joanie says
Thanks, Tonia.
Kate says
Ooo! Roasted Salmon! mmmm! I know what’s for dinner tomorrow!
Kacey says
Asparagus is beginning to get around to normal pricing again after this long winter, so looks like I can try this recipe out sooner than later! Looks great!