Pan Seared Salmon Meal Prep

Hands down, this pan seared salmon is my favorite meal prep recipe for so many reasons. It's quick and easy, super healthy, and SO delicious!! 🙂

If you're looking for an easy salmon meal that you can pull together on a busy night with no fuss, it's this one! It's healthy, delicious, and perfect for dinner or make-ahead meal prep.

For this meal, I combined pan seared salmon with steamed broccoli, roasted fingerling potatoes, and a side of lemon garlic aioli; all of the meal prep instructions are included below. And if you're not a broccoli fan, this roasted cauliflower side is a great substitution!

Jump to:

• 🌿 Ingredients
• 📝 Instructions
• 📋 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🔪 Equipment
• 🍱 Storage
• 🎉 Top tip
• 🍳 Recipe
• 🌡️ Food safety

🌿 Ingredients

The most important thing for this recipe is to start with the freshest salmon you can find. 🙂 I prefer wild (especially sockeye salmon) over farmed, and fresh over previously frozen--but depending on the time of year just get the best option that you can.

Pro tip: Many grocery stores sell pre-sliced and skinned salmon fillets, usually between 4-6 ounces each, which makes meal prep even easier.

• fingerling potatoes, any variety
• large head broccoli
• 4 salmon fillets, skin removed if desired
• Lemon Garlic Aioli or store-bought garlic aioli
• unsalted butter or olive oil
• fresh parsley
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• lemon wedges, for garnish

See recipe card below for exact quantities.

📝 Instructions

To get started, first heat the oven to 425°F and grease or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

Next, wash and dry the potatoes, and halve or quarter them depending on their size.

Then, wash the broccoli and cut it into florets.

Wash the salmon fillets removing any bones, and dry them well. And finally, wash and chop the parsley, and then rub the salmon with parsley, salt and pepper.

If you’re making homemade Lemon Garlic Aioli, prepare it now and set it aside (or if you're using store-bought aioli, just skip this step.)

And now on to the cooking!

Roast the potatoes

For the potatoes, first melt one tablespoon of the butter and place the potatoes, melted butter or oil and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir to coat all of the potatoes.

Pour them out onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they turn golden brown, flipping them over halfway through the baking time. I usually flip them right around the 10-minute mark.

Cook the salmon

Meanwhile, just after placing the potatoes in the oven, warm the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it bubbles, and then place the salmon fillets in the pan.

Pro tip: For skin on pan seared salmon, place the skin side up first.

Cook the first side for 4-5 minutes and then flip the fillets. Turn the heat down to medium, and cook the other side for another 4-5 minutes or until cooked through (or just to your desired doneness) and remove the skillet from the heat.

Steam the broccoli

After the salmon starts cooking, fill a medium pot with an inch of water and place the broccoli florets into a steamer insert inside the pot. Cover, bring to a boil on the stove and steam for about 4-5 minutes or until the broccoli just turns bright green (don't over steam!)

Pro tip: If you don't have a steamer insert, add the broccoli directly to the water, cover and boil for about 5 minutes or until bright green, and then drain.

For microwave steamed broccoli: Place the broccoli and a couple tablespoons of water in a covered, microwave-safe dish and cook on high for 2-4 minutes depending on the power of your microwave. Be careful when removing the dish and cover after steaming as they will both be hot!

Finally, place the broccoli in a large mixing bowl, add the butter (or oil) and salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Divide the salmon and sides among four plates or meal prep containers, season with salt an pepper, and top with more fresh parsley if desired. Serve with with garlic aioli and lemon wedges.

📋 Substitutions

As written this recipe is gluten-free. Feel free to make any of the following substitutions as needed:

• Salmon - if you can't find fresh salmon, you can substitute Arctic char which is in the same family as salmon, or a mild white fish such as cod or halibut
• Fingerling potatoes - you could substitute any variety of potatoes such as russet, Yukon gold or red; just slice into thin pieces as pictured in this recipe
• Broccoli - feel free to substitute cauliflower, asparagus, green beans or another favorite veggie
• Dairy free - use olive oil instead of butter
• Vegetarian - use seasoned tofu or tempeh instead of salmon

📖 Variations

Here are a few variations on this pan seared salmon recipe:

• Spicy/Cajun - rub the salmon fillets with Cajun spice instead of parsley to taste
• Kid friendly - if you're making fresh aioli, use a little less garlic, or just use garlic powder

🔪 Equipment

Here is the equipment you'll need to make this recipe:

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper (optional, but recommended for easy cleanup)
• cutting board
• chef's knife
• large mixing bowl
• large skillet
• medium pot
• steamer insert (optional, but recommended)

For make ahead meal prep portions, I also used:

• glass meal prep containers
• plastic sauce containers

🍱 Storage

Any leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Note that the garlic aioli does not freeze well and should be added to the meal after defrosting everything else.

🎉 Top tip

Since there are several moving parts in a meal prep recipe, it's important to do things in order and have the ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. But fear not, this recipe is super straightforward and you won't believe how quickly it'll all come together. 🙂

Enjoy!

🍳 Recipe

🌡️ Food safety

• Cook fish to a minimum temperature of 145°F (63°C)
• Use separate kitchen tools and utensils for prepping raw fish
• Wash hands in warm soapy water after handling raw fish
• Never leave food unattended on a hot stove
• Refrigerate leftover fish within 2 hours

See more guidelines at foodsafety.gov.