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Almond Crusted Salmon with Crispy Roasted Potatoes is a fun variation to your basic salmon night! Wild-caught salmon is baked with a golden almond panko Parmesan crust, alongside buttery garlic potatoes, and finished with lemon and lots of fresh chives. All on one sheet pan and ready in about 50 minutes, it's easy enough for a weeknight, but impressive enough for company!
We love salmon in our house but it's always fun to do something different than plain old salmon!
My kids love the almond breadcrumb topping on the salmon. I love that it's roasted on one sheet pan alongside crispy baby Yukon gold potatoes and finished with garlic butter and fresh chives! It's an easy impressive dinner for any night of the week!
- If you Love Salmon, try my Mediterranean Baked Salmon with Lemon Orzo and my Garlic Herb Panko Crusted Salmon!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Simple fresh ingredients including a big bunch of fresh chives from the garden and good quality wild-caught salmon make for a beautiful meal!
- Potatoes - Use baby Yukon gold potatoes, cut in half or quarters with the skin left on. You can really use any small potatoes, red potatoes or fingerling. These are roasted simply with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then tossed in melted garlic butter and chives at the end. Face most of them cut side down so the hot pan to get them nice and caramelized.
- Salmon - Use a full filet of good quality wild-caught salmon. You could use anywhere from 1 to 1.5 pounds, either the whole filet or ask them to cut a piece, leaving off the tail end. Farm-raised salmon is less nutritious, and just sounds terrible to me!
- Almonds - I like to use sliced raw baking almonds because they are easy to chop by hand. You can really chop up any kind of almonds, or substitute pecans for a different flavor.
- Panko Bread Crumbs - Light, flaky Japanese style breadcrumbs bake up crispy and delicious and I always keep them on hand in the pantry. Don't use traditional store-bought breadcrumbs as the are too fine, and will not give you the flakey crispy crust!
- Parmesan Cheese - This adds great flavor to the almond crust topping. You can use what you have, but buying a block and shredding it yourself is usually the best value.
- Garlic - Chop the garlic together, but you will use some in the almond crust topping and some in the melted butter to finish the potatoes. Definitely use fresh, it bakes up mild and delicious!
- Olive Oil - Used to roast the potatoes and coats the topping so it crisps up golden and delicious.
- Fresh Chives - I had chives overflowing the garden when I first cooked this dish and they were delicious to finish the garlic butter potatoes and garnish the salmon. You could also use fresh parsley, basil, thyme or rosemary for flavor variations. If you don't have fresh, just leave them out.
- Lemon - A big squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds bright flavor to the finished dish, and extra sliced wedges are nice to garnish.
See recipe card below for full quantities.
Instructions
The potatoes get a head start in the oven, then moved aside to make space for the salmon. Everything finishes together with a garlic butter over the potatoes and lots of fresh lemon and chives! Serve it right from the sheet pan!
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Chop the potatoes in half or quarters and add to a large sheet pan.
Step 2 - Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 25 minutes, flip with a metal spatula about half way through.
Step 3 - Meanwhile, mince the garlic, adding half to a small bowl with the butter for the potatoes.
Mince the other half along with the sliced almonds.
Step 4 - Add the garlic, almonds, panko and Parmesan cheese to a bowl with a little bit of the salt and pepper and mix with a spoon.
Season the salmon with the remaining salt and pepper.
Step 5 - When the potatoes have par baked for 25 minutes, flip them and move them aside to opposite corners.
Lay the salmon filet, diagonally down the middle.
Step 6 - Cover the salmon with the almond topping, use your hand to gently press it onto the filet.
Continue roasting another 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 7 - Melt the butter and minced garlic in the microwave and add chives.
Slice a lemon.
Step 8 - Check the salmon for doneness. Spoon the garlic chive butter over the potatoes and toss to coat.
Let the salmon rest for 5 minutes, garnishing with a big squeeze of lemon juice, lots of fresh chives and more lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Removing the Skin - You will bake the salmon with the skin on, then use a fish spatula (or other spatula) when serving to just pull the fish from the skin, leaving it behind stuck to the sheet pan. It's easy to scrape off with a spatula when doing dishes, toss the skin in the trash, not down the drain!
- Removing Pin Bones - If buying salmon at a fish counter, just ask them to remove the pin bones for you. Sometimes they have already been removed. Or you can remove them yourself with a small kitchen pliers.
- One Pan, One Temperature - Everything roasts at 400°F, which makes the timing simple. The potatoes go in first for 25 minutes, the salmon joins partway through for another 20 to 25 minutes.
- Check the Salmon for Doneness - Salmon thickness varies a lot, and with the almond topping, the salmon will take a bit longer than if it's baked plain. Start checking at 15 minutes, but it could take 20 to 25 minutes. Use a fork at the thickest part to pull back a bit of flesh to see if the color has changed from deep pink to a lighter, opaque pink throughout.
- What to Serve it With - Almond Crusted Salmon with the Crispy Potatoes is a meal in itself but a fresh green salad is a nice addition! Try my Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette or this Blue Cheese Apple Walnut Salad. You could also add a simple green vegetable like green beans or broccoli.
- Storage - Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
Ideally, if you par-bake the potatoes, then add the salmon they should finish at the same time. But, the thickness of the salmon, how big you cut the potatoes, and oven variations all can throw this slightly off. If one gets a little ahead of the other, it's easy to resolve. If the potatoes are done and the salmon needs more time, just use a spatula to remove them to a bowl and let the salmon finish. If the salmon is done and the potatoes need more time, it's a little trickier to remove the salmon without damaging its appearance. Instead, just use a spatula to scoop the potatoes to a separate small sheet pan and let them keep cooking while the salmon rests on the stovetop.
Yes, just let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Wild-caught salmon from the store that is labeled previously frozen is fine if you are going to cook it within a day or two, just don't refreeze it. Salmon is something you want to buy the best quality, and depending where you live, sometimes frozen is the best option!
Yes, just leave out the panko bread crumbs. You can use a little more almonds and Parmesan, or just keep the amounts the same.
More Salmon Recipes!
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Almond Crusted Salmon with Crispy Roasted Potatoes
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Print Pin RateIngredients
For the Potatoes
- 1.5 pounds baby yukon gold potatoes any small potatoes (about 4 cups)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon butter melted (added at the end)
- 1 clove garlic minced (added at the end)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chives minced (added at the end)
For the Salmon
- ¼ cup sliced almonds minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 to 1.25 pounds salmon filet
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
For Garnish
- 1 lemon juice and more wedges
- chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Chop potatoes in half or quarters and add to a large sheet pan. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping with a metal spatula about half way through.
- Meanwhile, mince 3 cloves of garlic. Add about 1 clove to the butter for the potatoes. The other 2 can be minced with the almonds. Add the garlic, almonds, panko, Parmesan cheese and olive oil to a bowl and mix.
- Season the salmon with most of the salt and pepper, the rest can be added to the almond mixture.
- When the potatoes are par-roasted for 25 minutes, flip them and move to opposite corners of the pan and lay the salmon filet diagonally down the middle, skin side down. Be careful with the hot pan! Spoon the topping over the salmon, lightly pressing it to the flesh to adhere.
- Return to the oven to bake the salmon and finish crisping the potatoes, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- To finish the potatoes, melt the butter with the minced garlic in the microwave and add chives. Spoon over the potatoes and toss with a spatula.
- Let the salmon rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish everything with more fresh chives and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Use a fish spatula to pull away pieces of salmon, leaving the skin behind on the pan. Serve with the crispy potatoes, more lemon wedges, and a green salad.
Notes
- If your potatoes finish before your salmon is done, you can remove them early to a bowl with a spatula. If your salmon is done before the potatoes, move the potatoes to a second sheet pan and continue baking them alone.
- Chives - you can substitute other fresh herbs or a mixture such as parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary or oregano, each will give the dish a unique flavor.
- Check the Salmon for Doneness - Salmon thickness varies a lot, and with the almond topping, the salmon will take a bit longer than if it's baked plain. Start checking at 15 minutes, but it could take 20 to 25 minutes. Use a fork at the thickest part to pull back a bit of flesh to see if the color has changed from deep pink to a lighter, opaque pink throughout.
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