Baked Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter and Roasted Potatoes

You can make the whole meal on one large sheet pan. The potatoes go in first because they need a head start. Once they're halfway cooked, you slide the salmon onto the same pan, brush it with melted butter mixed with garlic and lemon, and let everything finish together. No pots to scrub, no complicated timing.

I started making this version after getting tired of dry, overcooked salmon. The trick is pulling the fish out when it still looks slightly underdone in the center because it keeps cooking for a few minutes after it leaves the oven. A 1-inch thick fillet needs around 12 minutes at 425°F.

For the potatoes, baby Yukon Golds or baby red potatoes work best. Halve them, toss with olive oil, salt, and rosemary, and roast them cut-side down so they develop a golden crust. If you only have russets, cut them into 1-inch chunks instead.

The lemon garlic butter is the part everyone asks about. You melt butter, stir in minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and chopped parsley. Half goes on the salmon before baking. The other half gets drizzled over the finished fish at the table. That second pour is non-negotiable. It melts into the warm salmon and soaks into the potatoes sitting next to it.

This recipe feeds four people. It works for a quiet Tuesday or for company you want to feed well without spending three hours in the kitchen. Kids tend to eat it without complaint, which counts for something. Leftovers keep in the fridge for two days, and the salmon flakes nicely into a salad or onto toast with cream cheese the next morning.

You can swap dill for parsley if that's what you have. You can add asparagus to the salmon pan for the last 8 minutes if you want a green vegetable on the plate. You can use ghee instead of butter if dairy is a problem. The base method holds up across all those small changes.