Roasted Lemon Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal (Video)

I love everything about this ultra-simple Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal, and this easy dinner idea is low-carb, Keto, low-glycemic, gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, Whole 30, and South Beach Diet friendly! Use the Diet-Type Index to find more recipes like this one.

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Roasted Lemon Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal!

If there’s one thing I know about the internet, it’s that things are always changing. For example, I first made this super-easy, cooks-in-one-pan, tastes-amazing Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal back in 2011, long before anyone had even heard of Sheet Pan Meals. In the original version I mentioned it had three of my favorite ingredients (salmon, asparagus, and lemon) and said it was the type of recipe that always appeals to me. And sure enough, I’ve been making it pretty much every spring when fresh asparagus starts going on sale.And when I made this again recently I decided to take photos to get better pictures for this favorite dinner. And I also decided to rename it Roasted Lemon Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal, since that’s what people would be calling it these days, and I also changed the recipe to serve four, since that’s what most of my dinners are on the blog.

I’ll leave the original printer friendly recipe link in place, in case anyone has it bookmarked. (The new recipe for Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal is just doubled, and I did things in a slightly different order which seemed to flow better this time, but if you only want two servings use the original link.) It’s asparagus season for a few months now, so grab some salmon, some asparagus, and a lemon and give this easy Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal a whirl!

Break one piece of asparagus to see how much of the stem to trim, then trim all the other pieces to that point. Cut asparagus into pieces about 3 inches long. Toss the asparagus with 1 T. olive oil, salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Spray baking sheet with oil or non-stick spray, then spread the asparagus out in a single layer and start to roast in a preheated 450F/230C oven.

Zest the lemons into a small bowl. Cut zested lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a different bowl, then add 2 T of lemon juice to the zest.  (I love lemon zest, so if you don’t you might not want that much.) Whisk 3 T extra virgin olive oil into the lemon zest and juice and set the lemon oil aside.

Blot the salmon dry with paper towels, then rub rub each salmon filet with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and your favorite fish rub. (I love Szeged Fish Rub, so I used some of that.)

After asparagus has roasted about 5 minutes (or a couple of minutes longer for thick spears) push it over and put the salmon filets on one end.  Continue to roast about 10 minutes more. My salmon was perfect after 10 minutes, but thicker pieces might need 1-2 minutes more.  The fish should feel barely firm when it’s done. Drizzle salmon and asparagus with the lemon oil and serve hot.

I’d love this Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal with The BEST Pureed Cauliflower with Garlic, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese or Cauliflower Rice with Basil, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts for a low-carb side dish.

Roasted Lemon Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal
(Makes 4 servings, see original printer friendly link below for a version with only 2 servings. This recipe was barely adapted from one by Tony Rosenfield in Fine Cooking.)

Ingredients:
2 large lemons
3 T +  1 T + 1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. fresh asparagus (or a little more if you’d like)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, both for asparagus and salmon
4 salmon pieces, about 6 oz. each
Szeged Fish Rub for seasoning the salmon (or other fish rub of your choice)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450F/230C.  Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray or brush with olive oil.

Hold an asparagus piece in both hands and bend until it snaps to see how much of the woody stem you should cut off. Then trim other pieces to that length and cut asparagus into pieces about 3 inches long.  Put asparagus into a bowl and toss with 1 T olive oil plus salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste.

Spread out asparagus onto baking sheet so it’s in a single layer and roast for 5 minutes (or slightly longer if the asparagus pieces are extra thick.)

While asparagus roasts use a microplane grater or small grater to zest the lemon rinds into a small measuring cup. (I used all the zest, but if you’re not that crazy about lemon zest you may not want it all.) Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl, then measure 2 T juice and add to the lemon zest. (You can freeze the extra lemon juice if you have quite a bit.) Whisk 3 T extra virgin olive oil into the lemon zest-juice, then set the lemon oil aside.

Rub each piece of salmon on both sides with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Season salmon with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and rub with fish rub.

After 5 minutes, push the asparagus over so there is room and put the salmon pieces on the baking sheet. Put salmon and asparagus back into oven and roast for about 10 minutes longer (or possibly 1-2 minutes longer if your salmon pieces are extra thick.)  This is done when the asparagus is starting to soften and salmon feels barely firm to the touch.  Drizzle desired amount of lemon oil over salmon and asparagus and serve.

Click Here for Printer Friendly Recipe (4 servings as above)

Click Here for Original Printer Friendly Recipe (2 servings)

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Asparagus and salmon are both perfect low-carb ingredients, making this Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal a great meal for any phase of the South Beach Diet or pretty much any other low-carb eating plan, even Paleo or Whole 30.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Nutritional Information?
If you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you’re a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More Ideas for Cooking Salmon:
Salmon and Avocado Stuffed Lettuce Wraps ~ Tried and Tasty
Foil-Baked Salmon with Basil Pesto and Tomatoes ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Miso-Sriracha Glazed Salmon ~ The Perfect Pantry
Roasted Asian Salmon and Green Beans Sheet Pan Meal ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Cracked Pepper Salmon ~ Teranerin Baking