This roasted salmon with avocado dill sauce is a monthly staple at our house. Roasting fish alongside other veggies on a sheet pan requires minimal effort and thanks to parchment paper, is super easy to clean up! 

Busy Days

Hello, my friends! I hope you are enjoying springtime. We are off to a running start here with sports and activities every. day. of. the. week. Fortunately, my almost-daily-morning meditation habit helps keep me calm from the start and reminds me to take one (mindful) step at a time. (Read more about morning routines here.)

A Quick Weeknight Dinner

In any case, one daily to-do that doesn’t change is the need to feed my family dinner! When I take the time to plan weekly meals, this is a lot smoother, but at least 1 week a month I wing it, and this is when I turn to simple go-to’s such as this salmon recipe and my sheet pan cod recipe.

I’m lucky that I have a local fish market where I can pop in just before it’s time to cook dinner for fresh fish. But a quick trip to your local grocery store would also work.

After picking up some fish I look in the fridge or freezer to see what veggies we have on hand, then throw what I can onto a sheet pan and bake it in the oven. Meanwhile, I make an avocado-dill sauce for my husband and me to enjoy (my children don’t know what they are missing!)

As for starchy sides, if it’s a really time-pressed or tired night I might heat up some frozen brown rice (yes, that’s a thing). If I have a few more minutes I will boil baby potatoes or cook quinoa.

Seeking out Omega-3’s

We are big seafood fans in this house. It’s such a great way to get DHA and EPA, important omega-3 fatty acids that are only found in seafood and algae. For optimal intake, aim for 2-3 servings of seafood a week. One standard serving is about 4 ounces, which is about the size of the palm of your hand.

Limit the Mercury

Salmon, herring, sardines, mussels, arctic char, trout, and anchovies are all great sources of omega-3’s that are also low in mercury. Albacore tuna is also high in omega-3’s but kids and women of childbearing age should limit or avoid this fish because it’s high in mercury. Other types of seafood, such as cod and shrimp, also provide omega-3’s–just not as much.

For More Info on Seafood Recommendations go to this FDA page.

Get Cooking!

Ok, now let’s get cooking. As always, please use this recipe as a guide and adjust it to your need and liking. Perhaps yours needs to cook a bit longer? Perhaps you would like to serve it with a different veggie? Enjoy!

Roasted Salmon with Avocado Dill Sauce

This roasted salmon with avocado dill sauce is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Make dinner even easier by tossing in some veggies to cook alongside the fish. Simply drizzle veggies with some olive oil, sprinkle on a touch of sea salt, but be sure not to overcrowd the pan as the veggies need room for moisture to escape. The avocado dill sauce adds a delicious touch to the fish, veggies, and any side dishes such as plain potatoes or quinoa. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Scandinavian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil (plus extra for veggies)
• 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt (plus extra for sauce and veggies)
• 1/2 cup plain Greek or Skyr yogurt
• 1 whole avocado, ripe
• 1/2 whole lemon, juiced
• 3 tablespoons dill, chopped (or try parsley!)
• 1 garlic clove, minced (or try 1 tablespoon of chopped chives)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• While the oven is preheating, make the sauce by combining the yogurt, avocado, lemon, garlic, and dill in a mini food processor or blender. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time if too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper and additional lemon or garlic.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with 2 teaspoons of oil.
  
• Season both sides of the salmon with salt and place on the parchment paper. Note: you can leave the salmon as a whole fillet or cut into portion-sized pieces--it will cook a little faster if cut, but in my opinion, it's easier to just leave it whole.
• If desired, add additional veggies to the sheet pan. If they will need the same amount of time to cook, include them for the whole cooking time--as I did with the sliced fennel and zucchini in the photos. If they need less time, add them later in the cooking process--as I did with the frozen baby peas in the photos. (See recipe notes for more tips.)
• Bake fish for 20-25 minutes, depending on size and thickness. Drizzle the sauce on top and serve or let everyone take their own sauce (recommended for family-style dinners). Enjoy! 

Notes

Veggie Side Suggestions

...for cooking alongside the salmon on the sheet pan:

Frozen petite peas - simply thaw and add during the last 4-5 minutes of cooking

Zucchini and/or yellow summer squash - slice thinly, drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with sea salt, and cook alongside the salmon for 15 min to the whole duration

Fennel - slice fennel, drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with salt, and cook alongside the salmon for the whole duration, ideally flipping over once

Broccoli - cut into bite-sized florets, toss with EVOO, sprinkle with salt, and cook alongside the salmon for the whole duration, tossing once

Asparagus - trim ends, toss with EVOO, sprinkle with salt, and cook alongside the salmon for the last 15 minutes of cooking

 

Keyword family dinner, mercury, omega-3's, salmon, seafood

References:

https://www.ewg.org/research/us-gives-seafood-eaters-flawed-advice-on-mercury-contamination-healthy-omega-3s