comment icon 36 more comments The bright inexplicable pink of the tender flaky salmon, with golden olive oil-crisped edges. The deep green of the roasted asparagus calling us towards springtime. The pale yellow of the creamy leek drenched potatoes, speckled with bright pops of chives, an almost neon slice of lemon. It’s like technicolor. It’s delicious. It’s bold and light and it’s serving up sunshine for dinner.
Bright, Fresh, and Happy Ingredients For This Spring Salmon
This one is such a stunner because ingredients like lemon and asparagus and bright fresh salmon sing like spring birds, but the star here is the roasted potatoes with those creamed leeks. They’re creamy, rich, and decadent but with zips of fresh lemon zest. You may want to eat just a whole pan of those, but we promise the whole plate is a song. Here’s what you’ll need to make it happen: For the leeks:
leeksbuttergarlicfresh thymeheavy creamchicken/veg brothlemon zestsalt and pepper
For your sheet pan:
potatoesasparagussalmon (or you can cook separate in a skillet for extra golden crispiness, yum!) olive oil, salt, and lemon juice
If you want to skip the oven or skillet for your salmon, we have a guide for all the delicious ways to cook salmon.
Let’s Make Springy Salmon and Potatoes
All things told, this is pretty easy to throw together. The leeks are the only diva here because it takes a few soaks to get them grit-free, and then you have to get them all creamy buttery soft, but again, this star is worth every darn step. So here we go:
How To Cook Perfect Salmon
You have a couple of options for making the salmon here. We often gravitate toward baking salmon because it is our best no-fuss, no-brainer way to get a perfect cook on it. And you could definitely do that here by tossing it on the pan with your potatoes and asparagus! BUT, if you are willing to take one extra step and have one extra thing to clean, we really recommend crisping these fillets up in a skillet with olive oil. The golden brown crispy edges that you get all over are a whole other level in terms of texture and taste in this dish. The salmon does cook pretty quickly, so you have to baby it a bit so it doesn’t dry out. Again though, that golden crisp…oof, worth the extra pampering. This bright, colorful, super delicious, and deeply satisfying spring dinner is waiting for you. Please do answer its call, won’t you?
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More Salmon Recipes To Make ASAP
Coconut Curry Salmon (broiled salmon with the best spicy-sweet rub on top)The Oliver’s Salad (the garlic and peppers confit though! still drooling.)Spicy Salmon Burgers (comes together in just 15 minutes)
4.8 from 10 reviews
3 leeks, white and light green parts sliced 2 tablespoons butter 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed 1/2 cup heavy cream 3/4 – 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth a couple pinches of lemon zest salt and pepper to taste
Other Stuff:
1 pound potatoes, rinsed and halved 1 pound asparagus, tough bottom stems trimmed 1 pound salmon (1 small filet per serving) olive oil, salt, and lemon juice
