Lemon salmon traybake with potatoes & greens

Give the potatoes a head start

Salmon cooks much more quickly than potatoes. The trick with this traybake is to roast the potatoes first, then add the fish and vegetables near the end. Putting everything in at once usually means either firm potatoes or overcooked fish.

Cut the potatoes into small, even pieces and spread them in a single layer. They need contact with the tray to develop golden edges. If your tray is crowded, use two trays and swap their oven positions partway through cooking.

Pick the vegetables you enjoy

Tenderstem broccoli is convenient because its stems cook fairly quickly. You can use regular broccoli cut into small florets instead, or green beans with their ends trimmed. Thicker stems need a head start or a brief steam before they join the fish.

A handful of peas can be cooked separately and added at serving time. Keep the lemon dressing bright and simple; the vegetables and salmon do not need a heavy sauce.

What if my salmon fillets are different sizes?

Check smaller pieces first and remove them to a warm plate if they finish sooner. A thick centre-cut fillet takes longer than a thin tail piece. Start checking at the lower end of the cooking time rather than leaving every piece in for the maximum.

The fish should be steaming hot in the middle, opaque and separate into flakes when gently pressed. Take care to check for bones before serving.

Simple variations

• Dill and lemon: use dill instead of parsley in the dressing.
• Mustard: whisk a teaspoon of Dijon mustard into the dressing; remember that this adds mustard as an allergen.
• Dairy-free: the base recipe already uses olive oil rather than butter.
• Different potatoes: ordinary white potatoes cut into 2cm chunks work in place of baby potatoes.

A useful dinner for a mixed week

Pair a fish night with a bean-based lunch and a vegetable-rich pasta dinner rather than planning every meal around the same protein. Our balanced meal bowl guide has more combinations to help you vary the week.

If you are keeping a portion, separate it into a shallow container and follow our leftover storage advice. The potatoes soften on chilling; reheating them in the oven gives a better texture than microwaving.