This easy baked salmon recipe is a healthy sheet pan dinner that’s ready in 20 minutes! Salmon bakes in the oven with creamy feta cheese, mushrooms, bell pepper, tomatoes and Mediterranean spices until everything is tender and delicious.
This easy baked salmon recipe is perfect for busy nights when you don’t want to fuss by the stove. Like poached or grilled salmon, a few simple tricks guarantee the fish is tender and juicy every time.
Here, the salmon is baked in foil with tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers and feta cheese for a satisfying one-pan dinner. Everything is seasoned with a bold blend of cumin, sumac, and oregano that brings a distinctly Mediterranean flavor and marries the whole dish together.
Baked feta had its moment recently, from a very trendy baked feta pasta to baked feta appetizers on just about every restaurant menu I see. In my house, it’s been an easy way to make a weeknight dinner feel “fancier” since I can remember!
The feta doesn’t melt but rather becomes deliciously soft and warm, bringing a nice tang and creaminess to the party. You can stop there, but I love to serve this salmon with couscous, lemony rice, or some nice freshly baked pita.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients for this Easy Baked Salmon Recipe
- How to Bake Salmon
- How Long to Bake Salmon
- How to Tell When Baked Salmon is Ready
- How to Thaw Frozen Salmon
- How to Store Baked Salmon
- What to Serve with this Easy Baked Salmon Recipe
- You’ll Also Like: Easy Baked Salmon Recipes To Try
- Baked Salmon with Vegetables and Feta Recipe
Ingredients for this Easy Baked Salmon Recipe
To make this easy baked salmon, you only need Mediterranean pantry staples, a medley of vegetables, and salmon. It’s the perfect easy recipe to add to your rotation.
- Salmon: Slice a 1 1/2 pound salmon filet into 4 pieces, or buy four pieces of similar size.
- Produce: Cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms (I used baby bella, but anything you have on hand will work), and garlic roast together with the salmon. Fresh lemon juice lightens the richness of the fish in the final moments.
- Seasoning: Dried oregano, ground cumin, and fresh thyme give the salmon and vegetables a warming, aromatic quality. Sumac adds a nice tartness–you can learn all about sumac, stock up at our shop, or substitute with lemon zest if you’d like. Salt and pepper enhance the flavor.
- Feta cheese: Use a block of feta packed in brine (not precrumbled feta). The size works better for roasting and it tends to be higher quality.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Tenderizes, crisps, and imparts a nice flavor on both the fish and the vegetables. Use a high quality smooth variety, like any of the hand selected olive oils at our shop.
How to Bake Salmon
This easy baked salmon uses an easy technique that will give you flaky, tender fish every time! Here are the 6 simple steps for this one-pan weeknight dinner:
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a small bowl, combine the oregano, sumac, and cumin.
- Season the vegetables. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and 4 to 5 whole garlic cloves to a large baking dish or sheet tray. Sprinkle with ½ tablespoon of the spice mixture and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil, toss to coat, and spread so that everything is in one layer.
- Bake the vegetables and feta. Nestle chunks of feta in between the vegetables and top with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Place in the heated oven on the center rack. Bake until the vegetables have begun to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Season the fish. Meanwhile, pat the fish dry and season on both sides with salt, pepper, and the remaining spice mixture.
- Bake the salmon. Carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven and nestle the salmon in with the veggies and feta. Top each fillet with a drizzle of olive oil, then cover the pan with aluminum foil to trap the steam. Return to the center rack of the heated oven until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily, about 10 minutes.
- Finish and serve. Remove the salmon from the oven, carefully remove the foil, and immediately squeeze lemon juice onto the fish. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.
How Long to Bake Salmon
Baking times will depend on the heat of your oven and the thickness of your salmon. My method, where the salmon is tented with foil and cooked at 425°F, takes about 10 minutes. I find that trapping the steam and a slightly hotter oven is the most consistently delicious (and fuss free!) method for baking salmon.
How to Tell When Baked Salmon is Ready
Salmon is ready when flesh turns from bright pink to opaque pink. If you set a fork near the thickest part and pull outwards it should easily flake. If you meet resistance with the “flake test,” simply return it to the oven and check every 3 minutes or so until it flakes easily.
How to Thaw Frozen Salmon
Don’t have fresh salmon fillets? No problem! Frozen salmon will work just as well. Allow the salmon to thaw in the fridge overnight. About 15 to 20 minutes before cooking, take the salmon out of the fridge and set it on your kitchen counter to allow it to rise to room temperature before cooking.
How to Store Baked Salmon
Baked salmon is best eaten immediately, but leftovers will keep in in the fridge for 2 days. I like to keep the salmon fillets separate from the vegetables and feta in different airtight containers.
I don’t recommend reheating cooked salmon. Instead, keep it chilled and use it in a salad, like this Greek Salmon Salad. If you must, you can reheat the fish and vegetables briefly in a 350 degrees F heated oven, but be aware that salmon will quickly become dry (it may help to add a little liquid to the pan and cover with foil).
What to Serve with this Easy Baked Salmon Recipe
This easy salmon recipe with feta and vegetables makes a filling meal on its own. For a bit more heft, you can add a side of plain basmati rice, toasted orzo, or crispy smashed potatoes. For a bit of crunch and texture, I like to pair the salmon and vegetables with a fresh salad.
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Baked Salmon with Vegetables and Feta
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 bell pepper, any color, cored and sliced into thin sticks
- 5 ounces baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and halved
- 4 to 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 5 to 6 ounces feta cheese block, cut into large chunks
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 6 to 7 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 6-ounce portions salmon fillet
- 1 to 2 large lemons, halved, for serving
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a small bowl, combine the oregano, sumac, and cumin.
- Season the vegetables. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and 4 to 5 peeled garlic cloves to a large baking dish or sheet tray. Sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon of the spice mixture (save the rest for the fish) and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil, toss to coat, and spread so that everything is in one layer.
- Bake the vegetables and feta. Nestle chunks of feta in between the vegetables and top with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Place in the heated oven and bake until the vegetables have begun to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Season the fish. Meanwhile, pat the fish dry and season on both sides with salt, pepper, and the remaining spice mixture.
- Bake the salmon. Carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven and nestle the salmon in with the veggies and feta. Top the salmon with a drizzle of olive oil, then cover the pan with aluminum foil to trap the steam. Return to the center rack of the heated oven until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily, about 10 minutes.
- Finish and serve. Remove the salmon from the oven, carefully remove the foil, and immediately squeeze lemon juice onto the fish. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.
Video
Notes
- You can use skin on or skinless salmon for this recipe. If you roast with the skin on, you can remove it before serving with a sharp knife if you’d like.
- To use frozen salmon, allow simply it to thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Leftover and storage: Baked salmon is best eaten immediately, but leftovers will keep in in the fridge for 2 days. I like to keep the salmon fillets separate from the vegetables and feta in different airtight containers. I don’t recommend reheating cooked salmon. Instead, keep it chilled and use it in a salad, like this Greek Salmon Salad. If you must, you can reheat the fish and vegetables briefly in a 350°F heated oven, but be aware that salmon will quickly become dry (it may help to add a little liquid to the pan and cover with foil).
Wow another awesome recipe! Had no mushrooms so I used asparagus and had to use crumbled feta on the veggies instead of pieces of a block, but that was yummy too (took that idea from another recipe of yours). This is another recipe of yours to add to my keepers!
Thanks so much, Sharon!
Great as usual Suzy! The veggies I had on hand were good pairs. I used green beans, mushrooms, zucchini, the white part of some green onions, and red & green bell peppers that I needed to use up, with the feta. The salmon was wonderful. Wanted to try it with the smashed potatoes. Attempted it, but my kitchen got so congested with sons going in and out of the laundry room that I wasn’t following the recipe, Got too distracted. Then from the mad flurry of activity and everyone taking pictures (it was so pretty). They call behind them: “Back in an hour Mom”. So I ate in quiet and then realized what I did wrong with the potatoes. Everything was still delicious and I can’t imagine it won’t all disappear real soon. Thanks again, I’ve become a salmon fan with your help. 🙂
Sounds like quite a night! Lol! I’m glad salmon is back on the map for you :).
Oh this was delicious! I don’t have sumac so I zested a small lime instead. Also used lemon as instructed. I’m thinking how good this will be with chicken breast also.
Ooo! Yes! Love that idea!
This is such a fantastic recipe, I have already made it twice 🙂 Very flavourful, the spices are amazing! Thank you very much, dear Suzy!
I’m happy to hear you like it, Marija!
Currently my favourite way to prepare salmon. So tasty!!!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I LOVE this recipe. I was hesitant, but it all goes really well together. I didn’t have sumac, so I added ground coriander and paprika, and it worked well. The kids loved the salmon too! Thanks so much!
So glad you enjoyed it, Jessica!
This looks absolutely delicious! Can you use cod in place of salmon? Is there a cooking time difference?
Sure! I think that would work. Cod may take less time to cook. I would just keep a close eye on it the first time you do it. Cod is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temp of 145 degrees F and flakes easily with a fork. Enjoy!
We really liked this recipe. It would likely be great with any white fish or chicken. So good and easy to make.
Thanks, Maria!
I don’t have a cast iron skillet. What is another option.
Hi, Laura. You can use any baking dish or sheet-pan you have on hand. Enjoy!
I have no doubt this will be an amazing recipe, but Im not such a big fan of salmon…can I use a white fish like cod or haddock? I love all your recipes though so I might just try with salmon, but was wondering if would work?
Sure! Enjoy!!
This was absolutely delicious! I followed all your directions! We loved it! I made the orzo with sun dried tomatoes. This was excellent! I’m always also looking for fish recipes. I love all you’re recipes ! Keep them coming! Thank you
Will do, Stephanie :). Thank you!
I cooked this for my family last night. It was absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious! We used crumbled feta and it meshed beautifully with the mushrooms and tomatoes. The only thing I would do differently next time is to purchase salmon without the skin on the bottom of the salmon. (yuk!) Then I can enjoy sopping up all the delicious flavors without having to work around the skin. So easy and quick and our guests LOVED it! This one goes in my “fix for company” category for sure!
Yay! Thanks so much!
Made this tonight and my wife said it was 5 stars! Even my daughter, whose not a huge fish fan took seconds! Everyone loved the cooked feta with the salmon. I used what was on hand, so i didn’t use mushrooms (which wouldn’t have been a hit with my kids anyways and i did use fresh green beens. I also used Ras El Hanout in place of sumac because I don’t have sumac in my pantry yet:)
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Brian!
What can I substitute for sumac? I hate to buy a jar of spice for just one dish. Thanks very much.
Hi, Kyle. Sumac is kind of unique. There is not a great substitute for it. You can omit it if you’d like, but, I encourage you to purchase some. It has so many great uses beyond one recipe. We love to sprinkle it on all sorts of things… eggs, salads, soups, veggies. It really adds a fun, bright layer of flavor to things.
recipe sounds delish! my husband isn’t a big fan of salmon, can it be replaced with Trout? look forward to your reply.
Hi, Marsha. Sure! you could give that a try.
Love your recipes and tips and your videos are so enjoyable to watch. I have salmon several times a week and appreciate all your recipes for it. Also used your recipes for the family 7 fish dinner on Christmas Eve. But, being an old-school Italian cook, I omit the feta since I do not mix cheese and fish.
Easy and delish salmon recipe! There’s something so addictive about warmed feta.
I agree! 🙂
We try to eat salmon once a week, so I’m always searching for fun new recipes to try. This was great! Yum!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lauren!