Baked Salmon with Spicy Garlic Kale

I couldn’t stop eating the olive oil-slicked, lemon-zested, well-salted, crisp-tender kale. Straight off the sheet pan.

When you can’t wait for your food to make it to a plate before diving in, utensil-naked, you know it’s good.

That’s how dinner should always be, but it’s more surprising when you get that reaction from kale.

An entire pan of baked salmon fillets topped with piles of wilted greens was the healthiest thing I ate this week.

It was also the most delicious.

this recipe

When you discover a healthy sheet pan meal that is both good for you and damn good, it’s like having an angel on both of your shoulders. One encourages you to eat the healthy option, the other begs for the yummy option- except it’s the same meal and you didn’t need convincing anyway.

Can you tell I’m excited about this?

This recipe is a riff on 5 Minute Sheet Pan Fish with Crispy Kale, updated with a new technique for heartier types of fish.

Let’s make healthy baked salmon

It starts with a large sheet pan lined with parchment, four fillets of seasoned salmon, and plenty of lemon slices. Put an additional layer of parchment on top and fold up the edges to seal them together. This is similar to baked salmon in foil. I think it’s easier to bake all of the fillets at once rather than wrap them in individual foil packets.

The fish stays tender while everything roasts because the top layer of parchment traps all of that lemon-scented moisture.

The cooking time will depend on the the size of the fillets and whether you are using farmed or wild-caught salmon. Check the package before you start cooking; farmed salmon is higher in fat so it will take longer to cook than wild-caught.

Any type of salmon should be cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll know it’s done when it is opaque on the inside and flakes easily with a fork.

Either type of fish will be done in 15 minutes max. That gives you enough time to pick out the wine (unoaked Chardonnay, of course), sit down, and take a sip before dinner.

Heaps of kale and spoonfuls of capers top off the salmon after it’s halfway done. Then, everything finishes together in the oven. The tips of the greens turn crisp while their leaves soften, and the salmon stays rich and moist.

Set the table and light the candles right away (or enlist a helper) because this meal comes together fast.

Once dinner emerges from the oven, you’ll drizzle spicy garlic oil (made from fresh lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes) over everything while it’s still steaming. Then, add a final pinch or two of flaky sea salt.

The crispy kale and fork-tender salmon soaks up the zesty, spicy, garlicky oil in an explosion of flavors that make you question why you’d ever cook anything else.

So it’s no wonder if you find yourself, standing over the counter, eating straight off the sheet pan.

Print Recipe

Baked Salmon with Spicy Garlic Kale

(12 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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Dinner – American

By Samantha – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 35 minutes

A fast, healthy sheet pan meal topped with spicy garlic oil and flaky sea salt. Dinner is ready in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs salmon, about 4 fillets
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 lemons, 1 sliced plus juice from the half (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon), optional, for serving

Instructions

1

Heat oven to 400℉. On a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, add the salmon and season it with a drizzle of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and as much pepper as you'd like. Place lemon slices on top and scatter the capers all over. Cover the salmon with an additional layer of parchment, folding up the edges to seal as best as you can.

2

Roast salmon for 10-15 minutes (wild-caught salmon will cook more quickly than farmed, so check on the earlier side if your fish is wild-caught), or until internal temperature is about 110℉ (still raw). Remove the top layer of parchment and scatter the kale on top of the salmon. Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Return to oven and roast until kale is wilted and lightly charred, and salmon is opaque and cooked through (internal temp 125-130℉), 5-15 more minutes (cooking time will vary greatly depending on the thickness of your fish).

3

Meanwhile, combine ¼ cup olive oil, the reserved lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl or measuring cup.

4

Remove the salmon and kale from oven and drizzle everything with the spicy garlic oil. Let the salmon rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top and serve.

Nutrition

• 465 Calories

Notes

I used to be a Chardonnay evangelist, preaching to all the followers of red wine that there was another, more buttery, path. Then I got sick of it and bowed right back down to medium-bodied Pinot Noir. In this case, I'd go back to Chardonnay. No question. Salmon with Chardonnay (preferably unoaked, but I am no longer able to judge) holds a celestial place in the world of wine and food pairings. The citrus fruit flavors and buttery texture have a god-given talent to pair with salmon. I'd suggest letting that talent shine.