This crispy salmon dish takes less than half an hour, no fancy techniques required, but it looks and tastes so much more complicated. Asparagus, bell pepper slices and cannellini beans roast nice and quickly right alongside the fish, thanks to a super hot oven. But the key to not drying out the fish is a layer of vegan mayo, infused with some Asian-inspired flavors and topped with panko breadcrumbs for a lovely little crunch.
Next time you want to impress someone (or yourself!) without slaving away over a pile of pots and pans, make this! Simple prep, quick cook time, minimal dishes to wash, and so much flavor…pretty hard to beat.
I eat almost all vegetarian at home but having a go-to recipe this good actually makes me want to cook fish more often. Whether you’ve never cooked fish or have been for years, I’m prettyyy confident this one’s going to make its way into your rotation. The fish, vegetable and bean combo makes for a super-satisfying meal as is, or you can serve it over brown rice, quinoa or greens.
Change It Up
I’ll stop patting myself on the back because I can’t take all of the credit — this recipe is based on ‘How to Make Fish Without a Recipe’ from Epicurious. The article is definitely worth a read if you want to get really creative with the ingredients (let me know what you come up with!). But you can still follow my recipe and easily swap out the vegetables for any that will cook quickly (baby bok choy, red onion, broccoli rabe, etc.), or any leftover cooked veggies that just need to be reheated.
Buying Fish
I admittedly am not very experienced in buying fish but my biggest concern is sustainability, which is the main issue I have with meat. I’ve read recently that your best bet for freshness might actually be vacuum-sealed frozen fish because in a lot of cases, the ‘fresh’ fish has been sitting out longer. Ross and I have been working our way through a big order from a company called Sea to Table (thanks to his mom for the gift card!), which delivers wild-caught, flash-frozen seafood sourced directly from independent fishermen. Everything we’ve had so far has been very good and I love their mission, so we’ll definitely order from them again.
Vegan vs. Regular Mayo
I usually use Greek yogurt or avocado in place of mayo, but this dish is one of the few reasons why I keep mayo on hand. I use ‘veganaise’ because I actually think it tastes better but it also has no cholesterol, less or no saturated and trans fat, and it’s more sustainable since it’s made without eggs. A bunch of brands make a great vegan mayo now — a few options are Earth Balance, Just Mayo and Follow Your Heart.
One-Pan Crispy Salmon with Veggies & Beans
Ingredients
- 2 6-oz wild salmon fillets, flash-frozen & defrosted or fresh
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 organic bell pepper (any color)
- ~14 asparagus spears (about 1/2 bunch)
- 1/2 can cooked cannellini or other white beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 tsp pressed or minced garlic (about 2 cloves), divided
- sea salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp vegan mayo / veganaise
- 1 tsp coconut aminos*, tamari or soy sauce
- 1/2-1 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger (from a small piece of peeled ginger root), or about 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- dash cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 F. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil, or line it with parchment paper or a Silpat**. If you need to quickly defrost your fish, read this.
- Slice the bell pepper into long strips and snap the ends off of the asparagus. Place all of the vegetables plus the beans on the baking sheet, and toss in about 1 tsp olive oil, half of the pressed/minced garlic (1 tsp), salt and pepper.
- Pat the fish dry and arrange in the middle of the baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, coconut aminos, minced/grated ginger (I use this Microplane grater), the rest of the minced garlic, and cayenne if using. In another small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with a drizzle of olive oil. Spread half of the mayo mixture on each fillet and top with half of the bread crumbs.
- Bake at 500 F for 10-12 minutes, or until the fish is opaque in the center and flakes easily with a fork. If your fillets are thin, start checking it a bit sooner. For extra crispiness, broil on high for about a minute, watching carefully so it doesn't burn. Divide onto plates and enjoy!
Notes
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Caroline
So easy and SO delish. I’m usually intimidated by fish but this was prepped in 10 mins and honestly tasted like something I’d eat in a restaurant. I’ve also never roasted beans before and LOVED that part of the meal. Thanks Shiv!
Siobhan
Yay so glad!!! And same – cooking fish can be tricky and every time I’ve tried a different recipe, I’ve ended up wishing I followed this one instead haha
Marcia
Made this dish again and Cheryl loved it!
My new go to meal when limited on time!
Siobhan
Yay! I tried a variation with cod last week and it was really good but this salmon is still my fave 🙂
Larry McIntosh
Made the Crispy Salmon for Easter dinner. Very easy set up and could find almost everything at the store. Never easy! Substituted ginger paste for fresh ginger. The marinade tasted great and the vegetables were tasty and not over cooked in less than 10 mins at 500. Even better for lunch next day!
Siobhan
Oh interesting, I’ve never seen ginger paste but glad it worked out! Proud of you for making the effort!! 😉