Sheet-pan salmon and green beans turn into an amazing meal with sesame-lime dressing drizzled on top. An easy weeknight dinner!
Sheet-pan salmon and green beans is an easy dinner with an addictive sesame-lime dressing that adds a citrusy, salty kick to the meal.
I can't decide if I like this dinner better hot out of the oven, or served chilled with a bowl of barley, quinoa or salad greens. One of my kids loves cold salmon with orzo.
You decide how you want to serve it: This is a quick dinner you can start at 5pm and have on the table shortly after 5:30, or you can make it ahead of time and serve the salmon and green beans straight from the refrigerator.
Looking for more salmon recipes? Try 4-Ingredient Sushi Bowls for Kids.
Why This Recipe Works
- Salmon and green beans cook together on sheet-pans
- Easy prep and clean-up
- Ready in just over 30 minutes
- The easy sesame-lime dressing is so good!
- Delicious served hot or chilled. A perfect make-ahed meal!
Ingredients
Salmon: Buy one whole piece, or several small fillets or salmon steaks. A common recommendation is 6 ounces of salmon per person. I tend to error on the side of buying extra, because this salmon is also delicious cold the next for lunch.
Substitution: Any type of white fish is delicious with this meal too.
Green Beans: I either buy green beans with the ends already trimmed, or I don't bother to trim them. They look nice and rustic that way, right? Fresh green beans work better in this recipe than frozen.
Substitution: Broccoli florets
Sesame Oil: Buy toasted sesame oil for the dressing. It has a dark color and rich, toasted sesame flavor. Un-toasted sesame oil is very light in color and has a neutral flavor.
Oil: I like using a neutral flavored oil to coat the green beans (sunflower, canola, avocado, grapeseed, etc).
Substitution: Olive oil is fine, but it does have a stronger flavor
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Toss green beans in a tablespoon of oil and spread out on two rimmed sheet pans. Give the green beans a 10-minute head start in the oven.
Step 2: Whisk together the sesame-lime dressing: Sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, lime juice and garlic.
Step 3: Brush 2 tablespoons of the dressing over the salmon, then send that salmon into the oven with the green beans.
Step 4: Roast the sheet-pan salmon and green beans about 12 minutes more. Drizzle the remaining sesame-lime dressing over the salmon and beans. Dinner is ready!
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FAQ About Cooking Salmon
A common recommendation is 6 ounces of salmon per person. I find this is usually about right for my family (2 adults and 2 kids under 10) but I often make a bit more so we have leftovers. The salmon and dressing will stay fresh for several days in the refrigerator.
Grilling is my favorite way to cook salmon, too. I love the crispy edges, smoky flavor and the fact that your house won't smell like fish. To grill salmon, I put foil under the fish and use the same cooking time (10 to 12 minutes per inch of salmon thickness) that I use for oven-baked salmon. I wait to add the citrus-lime dressing until after the grilled salmon is fully cooked; just drizzle it on top before serving.
I haven't tried grilling green beans, but here's a recipe for Grilled Green Beans from Couple of Cooks.
For individual fillets of salmon, the cooking time depends on how thick the salmon fillet is. A good rule of thumb is 10 to 12 minutes per 1-inch of salmon, based on the thickest part of the salmon.
Some people like salmon slightly rare in the center, and some like it really cooked all of the way through. If you tend to like salmon on the rare side, then you can start checking it after 8 minutes.
A whole side of salmon takes longer to cook in the oven than individual fillets. Plan on a minimum of 16 to 18 minutes, but if the side of salmon is weighs more than 2 pounds, it can take closer to 30 minutes to fully cook.
When salmon is done, it should be semi-soft to the touch and flake apart or separate easily with a fork. Cooked salmon should not be raw and translucent in the middle, but if the middle is very light pink and semi-translucent, it's a good time to take the salmon out of the oven. Overcooked salmon is very firm to the touch.
The white stuff that sometimes oozes out of salmon as it cooks is called albumin. Albumin is a protein that thickens and comes to the surface of salmon as it gets hotter. The higher the heat used to cook salmon, the more likely it is that albumin will appear.
Cooking salmon at a lower heat (below 400 F) makes it less likely that albumin will appear. Also, don't overcook the salmon!
More Family-Friendly Seafood Recipes
📖 Recipe
Sheet Pan Salmon and Green Beans with Sesame-Lime Dressing
Sheet-pan salmon and green beans turn into an amazing meal with sesame-lime dressing drizzled on top. An easy weeknight dinner!
This dinner is delicious served hot or cold. You can make it up to a day ahead of time and serve it chilled from the refrigerator. Leftovers are also delicious for lunch.
This recipe was originally published in January 2020, and updated July 23, 2021
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 22
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salmon and Seafood
- Method: Sheet Pan Meals
- Cuisine: Asian inspired
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds salmon (one whole piece, or several small fillets or salmon steaks)
- 1 pound green beans
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil (or canola, avocado oil, etc)
- Optional garnish: sesame seeds and green onions
Sesame-Lime Dressing
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees
- For easier clean-up, line two rimmed sheet pans with foil or parchment
- Toss the green beans in oil on the sheet pans. The best way to do this is drizzling the tablespoon of oil over the beans, then tossing the beans with your hands. Spread the beans out in one layer and lightly salt.
- Put the green beans in the oven to give them a head start over the salmon. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame-lime dressing until completely blended: Sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, lime and garlic. Put 2 tablespoons of the dressing in a separate bowl.
- When the 10 minute timer goes off, put the salmon on 1 sheet pan or spread it out over two, moving the green beans to the sides of the pan.
- Brush the top of the salmon with the reserved 2 tablespoons of sesame-lime dressing. Brushing the salmon with the dressing is better than pouring the dressing over the fillets because you want as much dressing as possible to stay on the salmon and not drip onto the pan.
- Roast the salmon and green beans about 12 minutes more, until the salmon is cooked and easily flakes apart. The green beans will be shriveled and slightly brown or burnt on the tips.
- Serve the salmon and green beans with the remaining bowl of sesame-lime dressing drizzled on top. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions to make it look pretty!
Notes
How much salmon should you buy? A common recommendation is 6 ounces of salmon per person. I find this is usually about right for my family (2 adults and 2 kids under 10) but I often make a bit more so we have leftovers. I love cold salmon in a salad for lunch the next day.
If you’re worried that your kids won’t like the sesame-lime dressing, just roast the salmon without it and serve the dressing on the side at dinner.
Instead of, or in addition to green beans, you can use broccoli as the vegetable.
Keywords: sheet-pan salmon, sheet-pan salmon and green beans, sheet pan dinner, honey lime dressing, lime dressing
Jen
I just love this dinner! Easy and so flavorful. Leftovers are also really good eaten cold the next day.
★★★★★