This easy 30-minute salmon tray bake with potatoes and vegetables is your ticket to a healthy, no-fuss salmon dinner. Featuring boneless salmon fillets and perfectly roasted potatoes, all finished with a delectable homemade honey garlic sauce.
This baked salmon recipe is so easy to cook. If you're looking for more easy salmon and fish recipes you need to check out my pan-fried salmon, which has a lemon garlic butter sauce, or my curry salmon recipe. The salmon is also baked, but then finished in a Thai red curry sauce. And this blackened cod is another one pot recipe that will be a hit.
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⭐️ Why this recipe works
- One pan means easy cleanup: Cooked entirely on one tray, this recipe minimizes cleanup, making it perfect for busy weeknights
- Homemade sauce: Honey garlic sauce is homemade and uses only the most basic ingredients rather than artificial stuff from a jar or packet.
- Adapts to seasonal ingredients: Easily use any seasonal produce to enjoy the freshest flavours all year round.
🧾 Ingredients overview
- Boneless salmon fillet: The main feature of the dish is that it offers a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Skin-on provides a crispy texture, while skin-off also works well.
- Vegetables: asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts: These vegetables all work really well in this recipe. Just be sure to choose hearty vegetables that can stand up to being roasted.
- Mini potatoes (or any potato variety): Add a comforting, starchy element with a crispy outside and soft inside, perfectly complementing the salmon's richness. *Use larger potatoes and cut them into smaller dice for roasting.
- Honey garlic sauce (salted butter, honey, garlic, lemon, parsley): Acts as the flavour enhancer, with honey adding sweetness, garlic adding depth, butter lending richness, lemon offering freshness, and parsley providing herby notes.
- Olive oil, sea salt, and pepper: Basic ingredients for seasoning and cooking, ensuring the dish cooks evenly, sticks less, and has its natural flavours amplified.
For precise measurements and additional ingredients, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
👩🏻🍳 Here's how to make it
Salmon tray bake step-by-step
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 200ºC (380ºF). Line a baking tray with parchment paper for a non-stick surface.
- Potatoes and salmon: Halve the potatoes and arrange them on the tray. Pat the salmon dry and place it center stage on the tray. Season the salmon and potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper before baking until the potatoes are tender and the salmon edges begin to turn golden, about 20 minutes.
- Vegetables: Add asparagus (or your chosen veggies) to the tray, season as before, and return to the oven until everything is perfectly cooked. Depending on your choice of vegetables this should be about another 15 minutes.
- Making the honey garlic butter sauce: Make the sauce while the salmon is baking by melting the butter and honey together in a pan with the garlic. Once the butter is melted, add the juice of ½ the lemon and the chopped parsley.
- Serving: Remove the salmon from the oven and drizzle with the hot honey garlic sauce once the salmon is baked. Top the salmon with some lemon slices and serve. Because this is a sheet pan dinner, I'm a big fan of just popping the tray in the middle of the table and letting everyone help themselves.
📖 Variations
- Vegetables - use brussel sprout, broccoli or cauliflower in place of the asparagus
- Spicy - add some chilli flakes or cayenne pepper to the sauce to have a hot honey glaze.
- Potatoes - try some cubed sweet potatoes instead of regular ones.
🍯 Storing and reheating leftovers
Fridge: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy cold atop a salad or mixed into pasta.
Freezer: Avoid freezing to preserve texture.
Reheat: To reheat, place the salmon on a baking tray or plate and cover it. Heat in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
💡 Chef's Guide: Expert Tips
Drawing from a decade in Michelin-starred kitchens and Cordon Bleu training, here are my top tips for recipe success.
- Salmon: Opt for fresh, sustainably sourced salmon when possible. The quality of the fish significantly impacts the dish's flavour and texture.
- Uniform vegetable cutting: Cut your vegetables into uniform pieces to ensure they roast at the same rate, achieving an even texture and doneness.
- Pre-roasting potatoes: For an extra crispy finish, pre-roast your potatoes for about 10-15 minutes before adding the salmon and other vegetables. This ensures they're perfectly crispy outside and fluffy inside.
- Marinate for flavour: Marinate the salmon in the honey garlic sauce for 15-30 minutes before baking. This deepens the flavour infusion into the fish.
- Lemon zest: Add lemon zest to your honey garlic sauce for an extra citrus kick that brightens the overall flavour profile of the dish.
- Adjust cooking times based on size: The thickness of your salmon fillet can affect cooking time. Adjust accordingly to avoid overcooking, aiming for a slightly translucent center for the best texture.
- Rest before serving: Let the salmon rest for a few minutes after removing it from the oven. This allows the juices to redistribute, ensuring a moist and flavourful bite.
- Serving: Garnish the salmon with fresh parsley and lemon wedges before serving. This adds a fresh look and allows everyone to adjust the lemon flavour to their liking.
❓Recipe FAQ's
Salmon is best served medium-rare (I know not everyone likes it like this), but to tell if salmon is done without a thermometer, the best way is to gently press down on it. If it starts to flake gently, it's cooked. And when I say it flakes, that means it starts to separate easily along the white lines along the fillet. If you do have a thermometer the temperature you're looking for is 62ºC.
If the potatoes cook a little slower than the salmon, have no fear. Simply remove the salmon to a plate and place some foil over it to keep it hot while you place the potatoes back into the oven to finish roasting.
Yes, you can use frozen salmon. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator before use to ensure even cooking. Pat dry to remove excess moisture.
Yes, you can substitute maple syrup or agave nectar for honey if you prefer. These alternatives offer a similar sweetness with slight variations in flavour.
Absolutely! Feel free to include shrimp, scallops, or chunks of white fish to the tray bake. Adjust cooking times accordingly, as these may cook faster than salmon.
Yes, this recipe is versatile. Other fish like trout, cod, or halibut can also work well, though cooking times may vary based on thickness and type.
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Easy Honey Glazed Salmon Tray Bake With Potatoes
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) boneless side of salmon, pat dry with a paper kitchen towel
- 500 g (1 lb) baby new potatoes, sliced in half lengthways
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed of the woody end bits
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- sea salt and pepper to taste
For the honey garlic sauce
- 85 g (⅓ cup) salted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ bunch parsley chopped
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- Prepare the Potatoes: Slice the potatoes in half lengthways and place them on the tray. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel.
- Arrange and Season: Place the salmon in the middle of the tray. Drizzle the salmon and potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the salmon starts to turn golden at the edges.
- Add Asparagus: After 20 minutes, spread the trimmed asparagus onto the tray. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Increase Temperature and Bake: Turn the oven up to 250°C. Return the tray to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through, the potatoes are golden brown, and the asparagus is slightly charred and tender.
- Prepare the Sauce: While the salmon is baking, melt the butter and honey together in a small pan over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the juice of half a lemon and the chopped parsley.
- Finish and Serve: Once the salmon is cooked, remove it from the oven and drizzle with the hot honey garlic sauce. Top the salmon with lemon slices and serve immediately.
Notes
- Dry the Salmon: Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel before baking to ensure it bakes rather than steams.
- Salmon Cooking Temperature: Salmon is cooked when it gently flakes along the white lines on the top of the fillet. This happens at an internal temperature of 62°C.
- Thawing Frozen Salmon: If using frozen salmon, thaw it completely in the refrigerator overnight for even cooking and optimal texture.
- Skin-on vs. Skin-off Salmon: Skin-on salmon adds a layer of texture with crispy skin. Choose skin-off fillets for easier cleanup and less fat.
- Prep Ahead: Chop vegetables and prepare the honey garlic sauce ahead of time to make this recipe quicker on busy nights.
Nutrition
Meet the Chef!
Hi, I'm Debs, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef dedicated to helping you create unforgettable meals on a budget. Discover more about my journey and dive into a world of foolproof recipes designed for those who love to eat well without overspending.
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