sheetpan sundried tomato salmon and potatoes
A delight for anyone short of time, patience, or mental wherewithal but still need to figure out dinner for the night…Sheetpan Sundried Tomato Salmon and Potatoes to the rescue.
Sometimes I’m particularly scientific with my dinners, when I have extra energy to spare, or a current of inspiration zipping through every nerve and eventually wiggling its way out my crafty fingertips. Greek Chickpea Meatballs, for one. Exceedingly delicious and special, no doubt.
But other days, like many of late, I’m not quite Speedy Gonzalez on the cutting boards. My energy is lower, the positive facet of overthinking absent in place of just plain overthinking, and I with many pep talks need to unsheathe my mental coping mechanisms while also hoping to make something edible, and hopefully adjectives much smoother than that.
Sunday was one of those instances where I woke up edgy and not sure what reasoning lay beneath the fidgeting and a sense of inclement internal conditions. In a case such as, I strip myself down to my basic needs and do what I need to do to, well, do. I got off the floor and sat near J while he ate lunch even though all I really could accomplish is staring at the floor two feet ahead and nodding occasionally when he spoke. Better, I think, than relenting to lonesomeness. Proximity to something positive, even if I can’t wholly embrace its yellow energy, drives out a bit of the black. I knew once I slept that the next morning the feeling would probably drift. And it did. Hallelujah.
My intent for that narrative was to assure everyone that, despite fairly effective coping mechanisms in general, my clouds sometimes cannot be evaporated before gushing their volume. Everyone with even the slightest measure of anxiety, depression, whathaveyou, fall down the drains sometimes. It’s okay. Dust off, change clothes, and rest.
For nights of exhaustion, be it from life or from your mind, this simple sheetpan dinner is nourishing, filling, easy, and delicious. While the potatoes bake to crispy goodness, prepare the herby sundried tomato sauce and rub it over tender filets of salmon. That’s really the only work involved here – the rest, for the oven. I can’t stress enough that, despite the joy more gourmet experiments bring me, sometimes homely recipes involved basically no dishes and a lot of simply-acquired flavor hit the spot even more.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you’ve made!
A couple more easy salmon dinners to consider…
Salmon Souvlaki with Herby Sundried Tomato Olive Tapenade
Sheet Pan Blood Orange Pomegranate Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 4-6 oz filets salmon
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb baby potatoes, halved or quartered
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
- 4 oz feta cheese
- fresh lemon and herbs, to serve.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with oil.
- Toss potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake 25 minutes.
- In the bowl of a food processor, chop sundried tomatoes, basil, parsley, garlic, shallot, oregano, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. The mix will be chunky but shouldn't have any large particles.
- Pat salmon filets dry and season with salt and pepper. Pat the sundried tomato sauce over the salmon, coating evenly.
- Flip potatoes with a spatula. Nestle salmon filets amongst the potatoes. Bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Portion salmon and potatoes evenly among plates. Sprinkle olives and feta overtop and beside. Drizzle with lemon juice and finish with basil and parsley.
