Imagine this. It’s a rainy Wednesday. You’ve had a long day. You’re tempted to grab a pizza to ‘reward’ yourself. But then you remember you have salmon and broccoli in the freezer.
And you remember this recipe…
Jules said “Salmon + Broccoli + Oven = super easy AND satisfying dinner.”
You think ‘I can do that.’
Plus you’ll be able to come straight home on a busy weeknight and get into your comfy clothes while dinner is cooking itself.
Oh and if you double the quantity you’ll have a yummy lunch that your colleagues will be jealous of the next day.
Do yourself a favour. Add frozen salmon, broccoli and a tub of hummus to your shopping list. Your future self will thank you.
If you don’t mind chopping you can use fresh broccoli and fresh salmon instead. Just take a few minutes off the cooking time.
Ingredients
- 1-2 salmon fillets
- 250 g/ 9 oz frozen broccoli
- 3-4 tablespoons hummus
PLUS ingredient
- 1 teaspoon za'atar or other flavour bomb
Instructions
-
Turn your oven to 250C (480F). Line a rimmed baking sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place frozen salmon on the tray. Scatter around the broccoli (no need to defrost).
- Pop tray in the oven and set your timer for 12 minutes. Put your feet up.
- When the timer goes, check the salmon - it may need a few minutes longer depending on your oven.
- When the salmon is cooked and the broccoli is hot, remove from the oven. Smear the hummus on the base of your plate. Top with hot salmon and broccoli. Sprinkle over za'atar or your chosen flavour bomb.
Variations & Substitutions
plan-B (pantry) – this is totally a pantry meal!
vegetarian – canned chickpeas crisped in the oven are awesome here! The won’t take as long to cook and will need a splash of oil.
different protein – chicken thigh or breast fillets, sausages, other frozen or fish fillets, meatballs, eggs (will only need 5 minutes to cook so get the broccoli cooked first before adding them to the tray.
no hummus / different sauce – any of those dips you get at the supermarket like eggplant dip or beet deep, make a tahini sauce with equal parts tahini, lemon juice and water or just tahini and water. Or tahini and greek yoghurt. Or greek yoghurt seasoned with salt and black pepper, pesto, mayonnaise, tabasco, sriracha or make a quick satay sauce with equal parts sriracha and smooth peanut butter. Or even a drizzle of your best peppery extra virgin olive oil.
different vegetables – frozen peas, frozen corn, frozen baby green beans, frozen spinach, frozen kale, frozen cauliflower ‘rice’, frozen broccoli ‘rice’ are all great! Feel free to use fresh veg as well if you dont mind chopping. Snow peas or asparagus cooked in a hot oven like this are amazeballs. And I LOVE popping in some vacuum packed beets (out of the packet of course).
more substantial (carb lovers) – serve with pita or wraps or tortillas or toasted sourdough or cooked pasta.
more substantial (low carb) – good with a hunk of avocado. And some roast almonds, walnuts or pine nuts, cauliflower rice, feta cheese .
different flavour bombs – fresh herbs, ground coriander and salt, sliced lemon, freshly ground black pepper, furikake, chilli flakes, pomegranate seeds, roast nuts, roast seeds, roast cherries with the salmon.
more fancy / for entertaining – serve the dish with fresh herbs like parsley, dill, basil or coriander. Or make my Best Ever Almond Tabbouleh. Some toasted pine nuts always make it feel fancy.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
salmon fillets – freeze it
frozen broccoli – keep it in the freezer and will last for months
hummus – will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. Can be frozen.
za’atar – keep it in the pantry
Problem Solving Guide
bland – toss in more salt and brush with freshly ground black pepper! Or add in garlic or a flavour bomb like sesame seeds, fresh ginger, sesame oil, cream, glaze, lemon zest, sliced lemon, soy sauce.
too dry – overcooked salmon. Next time get it out earlier. For now the hummus will help.
no oven – instead of cooking on a sheet pan pan fry the salmon until cooked through and then cook the frozen broccoli in the salmon fat. Yum. Or cook in the air fryer (200C | 400F – turn after 8 minutes)
taking too long – different ovens vary in heating speed. And once you open the door to check it takes time to come back to temperature. So be patient!
Prep Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but get the salmon out of the oven before it’s fully cooked. Keep the hummus and za’atar separately. Either keep at room temperature if it’s only a few hours before serving or refrigerate if longer. Then to serve pop the salmon and broccoli florets back in a super hot oven (250C / 480F) for 5-10 minutes until everything is hot.