Salmon with Tomatoes & Fennel (sheet pan meal!)

One Pan Salmon with Tomatoes

Exciting flavors. The bold flavors of salmon, tomatoes, and fennel assert themselves in this Mediterranean-style sheet pan dinner. The excitement doesn’t stop with the salmon/tomato/fennel trifecta. Believe me, this entrée isn’t shy. The supporting cast is equally prominent: shallots, garlic, capers, dill, and Dijon. Wow! There’s nothing boring about this dinner.

Healthy ingredients. You’ll love how healthy this salmon dinner is, too. This recipe is adapted generously from a Melissa Urban’s Whole30 Fast and Easy. Pretty much every ingredient is good for you, from protein-rich salmon to antioxidant-loaded fennel. This is whole food at its best!

One pan dinner. Baked sheet pan dinners are so easy! Cook your entire dinner on one pan, with no stirring, splatters, or multiple pots to wash. For even easier clean-up, line the sheet pan with parchment paper. Just toss the paper when dinner is finished. How easy is that! 

If you like the idea of one pan salmon dinners, try salmon and asparagus sheet pan dinner, Greek salmon sheet pan dinner, or walnut crusted salmon sheet pan dinner. Another tasty idea is pesto salmon in parchment. The salmon is baked with a medley of vegetables in a neat parchment packet.

Ingredient Notes

• Salmon: This recipe serves four. Buy one fillet and cut it into four equal portions or buy four 6 ounce fillets. It can be skin-on or skinless.
• Tomatoes: Bite-size tomatoes, like cherry or grape tomatoes work well for this recipe. They are sweet, tangy, and juicy when roasted.
• Fennel Bulb: Look for fennel in the produce department. The fennel bulb is light green to white in color, and has a mild licorice flavor. You’ll need one medium-sized bulb, with the fronds. Fennel bulbs should be refrigerated where they will keep for 7 to 10 days.
• Shallots: A member of the onion family, shallots are smaller and mild-tasting. You can substitute a sweet onion if you prefer.
• Sauce: The salmon and veggies are roasted with a savory sauce consisting of olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, capers, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, and fresh dill.

How To Make This Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

Prep vegetables. Thinly slice the fennel bulb. Begin by cutting the bulb in quarters, removing the core, and then slicing each quarter as thinly as possible. A mandoline is helpful if you have one. Toss the fennel with halved grape tomatoes, quartered shallots and olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Put everything on the sheet pan. Arrange the vegetables around the salmon fillets on a large rimmed baking sheet. (You can line it with parchment paper for easy cleanup.)

Make the sauce. Stir up a flavorful sauce of minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, fresh dill, and capers. Spread the sauce over the salmon. There will be plenty, so let the excess spread into the veggies to flavor them as well.

Bake. In twenty minutes or so, you’ll have beautifully roasted salmon and vegetables ready for dinner! For well-done salmon, the internal temperature should be 145ºF when checked with an instant read thermometer. The salmon should be opaque and flake easily with a fork.

Serve. Place a salmon filet on each plate, surround it with roasted tomatoes and fennel, garnish with fennel fronds or fresh dill, and serve. Beautiful! 

Serving Suggestions

Sides: Accompany your dinner with a loaf of crusty bread with Italian bread dipping oil and a simple salad with homemade vinaigrette, if desired.

Beverage: Try a merlot with this salmon dinner. It pairs perfectly with the tomatoes and fennel. A bubbly Aperol spritz is perfect for an aperitif, with olive oil roasted almonds to nibble on.

Dessert: For a sweet finish, try 3 ingredient lemon pudding, along with honey lemon shortbread cookies or lemon brownies.

Recipe Variations

• Add olives. Instead of, or along with the capers, add olives to the sheet pan. Kalamata or Castelvetrano olives would be perfect.
• Make a main dish salad. Toss greens like arugula, red leaf lettuce, and spinach with a light vinaigrette and top the greens with the warm roasted salmon and vegetables.
• Grill the meal. Don’t want to heat up your kitchen? Roast the salmon and veggies wrapped in foil packets and grill the packets. This grilled salmon recipe is really good, too.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate: Store leftover salmon and vegetables in the refrigerator for up to two days. Reheat gently in the microwave on a plate. Check out the salad idea above for a delicious way to eat leftovers.