Description
A vibrant one-pan meal featuring flaky salmon fillets and tender asparagus roasted under a lemon-pepper garlic butter—easy, elegant, and full of bright flavor.
Ingredients
1 wild Alaskan salmon fillet (2–3 pounds), skin-on or off
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
Fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish)
Lemon Pepper Garlic Butter:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or use olive oil)
4–6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Toss asparagus with olive oil, 1½ tsp lemon pepper, and ¼ tsp salt; spread to the edges of the pan.
- Fold a long strip of foil between asparagus to form a shallow “boat.” Place salmon skin-side down in the foil well.
- In a bowl, whisk melted butter with garlic, lemon juice, lemon pepper, Dijon, parsley, thyme, basil, paprika, dill, onion powder, and salt.
- Pour the lemon-pepper garlic butter evenly over salmon.
- Bake 12–16 minutes until salmon is just opaque and flakes at 125–130 °F. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and an extra squeeze of lemon if desired. Serve directly from the sheet pan.
Notes
- Use olive oil instead of butter for a dairy-free option.
- Add cherry tomatoes or baby potatoes around the edges for a fuller sheet-pan dinner.
- Broil 1–2 minutes after baking for extra browning—watch closely.
- Leftover salmon reheats gently at 300 °F for 5–7 minutes to avoid drying.
- Substitute steelhead trout or Arctic char if you can’t find wild salmon.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12–16 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Sheet-Pan Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 90mg