Just a few ingredients elevate this simple oven baked salmon with tomatoes to an elegant, yet easy, summer dinner. Made in one pan for easy cleanup and ready in about 40 minutes.
This oven baked salmon with tomatoes recipe is the ultimate easy late summer dinner. This sweet tomato sauce with sherry vinegar and a touch of honey will blow your mind! Vinegar + honey + tomatoes = amazing.
There are hardly even any steps. Seriously. Slice tomatoes in half. Whisk together some sauce over here and mix another quick sauce over there. Bake. Done. Eat.
We're going to bake the salmon, which gives us a constant, even temperature that ensures it's cooked perfectly.
Once again, as I am wont to do, I have adapted two different recipes for a mash up. The roasted tomato sauce half comes from a NYTimes Cooking recipe by Lidey Hueck.
The basil yogurt sauce and salmon half comes from Jamie Oliver. I might not have really thought about putting salmon with tomatoes, but it works because we are not making a heavy sauce here.
Love salmon recipes because they're so easy to cook? Me too! Try my Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce or Slow Roasted Salmon with Citrus Salsa Verde.
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Ingredients you'll need
For the salmon with tomatoes
- Salmon: You'll need 4 pieces equal in thickness and length to ensure even roasting time in the oven. I cut two larger filets in half, but you can have your fishmonger cut 4 perfect pieces for you.
- Cherry tomatoes: It's fun to use a variety of colors, that's what I did here (and in my cherry tomato pasta recipe!) but one single color will also do.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sherry vinegar: I highly recommend you seek out some sherry vinegar to make the roasted tomato sauce. I can usually find it at Whole Foods, or look on Amazon or at Italian specialty grocers. But if you can't find it, try rice vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Honey: This will add sweetness and acidity.
- Garlic: Because what is a tomato sauce without garlic?
- Kosher salt
For the basil-yogurt sauce
- Full-fat plain Greek yogurt: I prefer full-fat here, but non-fat will also work.
- Dijon mustard: To give us some complexity and umami.
- Lemon juice and zest: I always use the citrus zest when I use the juice!
- Fresh basil leaves: Hopefully you can get some basil from your garden, but store-bought is fine!
- Kosher salt
How to make salmon with tomatoes
Step 1: Slice the tomatoes and make their roasting sauce
Use a good chef's knife and cut the tomatoes in half.
Then put them in an even layer in a casserole dish. The one pictured here is by Juliska and it's their Berry & Thread pattern.
In a glass bowl, mix together the sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt and honey. Using a Microplane grater, grate the garlic and add to the mixture in the bowl.
Whisk all the ingredients together. And you're not going to believe how good this tastes!
Step 2: Roast the tomatoes
Then pour over the tomatoes in the casserole dish and bake for about 25 minutes.
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The tomatoes should have released their juices and will start to look wrinkly.
Step 3: Make the basil yogurt sauce
While the tomatoes are roasting, make the basil yogurt sauce. Add the yogurt, chopped basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and dijon mustard to a bowl.
Mix all of the ingredients together and season with salt if needed. (It might not need it if your mustard is on the salty side.)
Step 4: Bake the salmon
Season the salmon fillets with salt.
Flip them over and season the skin with salt and drizzle with olive oil.
Lay the salmon fillets on top of the roasted tomatoes skin side up and bake for another 8-12 minutes, depending on how done you like your salmon. For me, 8 minutes was perfect and the salmon was cooked about medium.
Step 5: Top the salmon with tomatoes and yogurt sauce and serve
To serve, transfer each salmon fillet to a plate - some of the tomatoes will have kind of baked into the filet when you turn them over—I love this. Scoop some more roasted tomatoes and the sweet sherry vinegar sauce onto each plate and top with the basil yogurt sauce.
Tips for salmon with tomatoes
- It's the sherry vinegar in this recipe that really does it for me. This is a secret ingredient for salad dressings and sauces that you should be aware of! It has a roasty, nutty quality that adds a certain something... a "je ne sais quoi", if you will, and it really complements the flavor of both the salmon and the tomatoes.Try it in place of cider vinegar or white wine vinegar in your cooking.
- The "white stuff" that forms on salmon when you cook it is a protein called Albumin. It exists as a liquid in the fish filet when raw, but becomes solid when cooked. It is not harmful. There's really no need to worry about this or to try to prevent it from forming. Either eat it or scrape it off, and get on with your life.
- Make this at the peak of tomato season when the markets are bursting with cherry tomatoes of every color and shape. AND make this any time of year because roasting the tomatoes concentrates their flavor and it will taste amazing.
Recipe variations
- You can use grape tomatoes in place of the cherry tomatoes. Just remember that they may take longer to roast, and they may not be as juicy.
- Swap cod or shrimp for the salmon, be sure to adjust the cooking times accordingly.
- Try more or different herbs in the yogurt sauce. Tarragon or cilantro would be great, as they both taste great with salmon and tomatoes.
What to serve alongside
Let's keep all of those delicious summer ingredients going, shall we?
- Raw Zucchini Salad would be a perfect complement on a hot summer night.
- How about a Peach Salad with Prosciutto, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Vinaigrette to keep those sweet/savory flavors going?
More fish recipes
- Salt Baked Whole Fish is so much simpler to make than you think. Impress your friends!
- Grilled Halibut with Almond-Orange Mole has all the flavors of Mexico without the effort of a typical mole.
- Trout Amandine is a simple French recipe that's easy to make at home.
Baked salmon with tomatoes is an easy summer meal!
- Quick prep: Just slice some tomatoes and mix up a couple of sauces.
- Full of two of summers greatest flavors: Tomatoes and basil!
- The salmon bakes in 8 minutes!
- Just one pan and two bowls for easy cleanup.
- Ready in about 40 minutes.
- It's gluten free!
Recipe
Salmon with Tomatoes and Basil Yogurt Sauce
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Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes and Salmon
- 24 oz salmon, skin-on (four 6 oz filets)
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes of any and all colors about 20 ounces
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
Basil Yogurt Sauce
- ½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves (tightly packed)
- 2-3 teaspoon lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- kosher salt to taste, if needed
Instructions
Roast the Tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice all of the tomatoes in half and place them in a single layer in a casserole dish.
- Add the sherry vinegar, honey, olive oil, and salt to a bowl. Grate the garlic cloves into the bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour the sauce over the tomatoes and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes have released juices and start to look wrinkly.
Make the Basil Yogurt Sauce, Prep and Bake the Salmon
- Finely chop the basil and zest the lemon. Combine yogurt, basil, mustard, lemon juice (2 or 3 tsp, depending on how tart you want it), and lemon zest in a small bowl and set in the fridge until the salmon is done. Season with salt, if needed.
- Season the salmon filets with salt, then flip them over and season the skin with salt, then drizzle with olive oil.
- Place the salmon filets skin side up on top of the roasted tomatoes and bake for another 8-12 minutes, depending on how you like your salmon cooked.
- Place each filet on a plate with more tomatoes and their juices and top with basil yogurt sauce.
Notes
- I highly recommend you seek out some sherry vinegar to make the roasted tomato sauce. It has a very special roasty, nutty flavor. I can usually find it at Whole Foods, or look on Amazon or at Italian specialty grocers. But if you can't find it, try rice vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Grating the garlic instead of chopping it does two things: it gives the sauce a better texture (no chunks) and the flavor is a little milder and distributed throughout the sauce. A Microplane grater is essential for this task. I use mine almost every day for one thing or another.
- I cooked this recipe in my Juliska Berry & Thread casserole dish.
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