Healthy & Light HIGH PROTEIN

Herb-Roasted Salmon & Greens

Name: Herb-Roasted Salmon & Greens
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Modern European
Ingredients: 2 skin-on salmon fillets, about 160 g each; 300 g cavolo nero or spring greens, thick stems removed; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 lemon, zest of, plus wedges to serve; 20 g flat-leaf parsley; 10 g dill; 2 tbsp capers, drained and roughly chopped; 1 garlic clove, grated; 30 g fresh breadcrumbs; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; Flaky sea salt and black pepper

Most salmon-and-vegetable trays put everything side by side and hope for the best.

By Dana Reyes

Tested at least twice · Updated September 2026

Herb-Roasted Salmon & Greens — Greens underneath rather than beside, so they cook in the rendered salmon fat.

10 min

Prep time

20 min

Cook time

Serves

4.8

1,152 RATINGS

The vegetables go under the fish

Most salmon-and-vegetable trays put everything side by side and hope for the best. Putting the greens underneath does three things at once: the salmon fat bastes them, the greens insulate the fish from the direct heat of the tray, and you end up with vegetables that taste of something other than themselves.

It also solves the timing problem, because greens and salmon actually want similar treatment — a short, hot blast. Eight minutes at 200°C gives you crisp-edged greens and fish that is just set.

The herb crust is deliberately coarse. Blitzing it to a paste makes a wet layer that steams the top of the fillet. Chopping it by hand or pulsing it briefly keeps the texture loose, so it crisps rather than sweats.

Instructions

About 30 min from start to finish

Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Toss the greens with a tablespoon of the olive oil, a pinch of salt and the lemon zest, then spread them over a shallow baking tray in an even layer.

Blitz or finely chop the parsley, dill, capers and garlic together. Stir through the breadcrumbs, the remaining oil and a good crack of pepper — you want a loose, crumbly mixture, not a paste.

Pat the salmon dry and sit the fillets on top of the greens, skin-side down. Season the flesh lightly.

Brush the top of each fillet with Dijon mustard — this is what makes the herb crust stick — then press the crumb mixture firmly onto the mustard.

Roast for 9 to 11 minutes, until the crust is golden at the edges and the greens are crisp in places. If the crust is browning too fast, drop the oven to 180°C for the last three minutes.

Rest for 2 minutes, then serve with lemon wedges and a spoonful of the pan juices.

Testing notes & substitutions

Three rounds of testing turned up three things worth knowing before you start cooking.

The crust needs the mustard

Without it, half the herbs end up on the tray. Dijon also brings a tang that lifts the salmon, so it earns its place twice over.

Cook from room temperature

Fillets straight from the fridge need three extra minutes, by which point the crust has caught. Take them out twenty minutes ahead.

Cavolo nero holds better than spinach

Spinach wilts to a puddle in eight minutes. Cavolo nero, kale and spring greens all keep their structure and their bite.

Questions we get a lot

Can I make this without breadcrumbs?

Yes — crush 30 g of almonds or use a tablespoon of polenta. Both crisp well, though the polenta version is noticeably crunchier.

Can I bake it in portions?

Use individual pieces of baking paper as loose boats, then the greens and juices stay with each fillet and there is nothing to carve.

Is it worth buying skin-on?

Yes. The skin protects the flesh from the heat and keeps the greens from drying out, even if you do not eat it.

Dana Reyes

Dana has cooked professionally for eleven years and has been testing recipes for Hearth & Thyme since 2019. She writes about weeknight cooking, slow breads, and the small techniques that quietly change a dish. Every recipe she publishes is cooked at least twice, in an ordinary home oven.