Sheet Pan Blackened Salmon with Garlicky Kale
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From chef Alex Guarnaschelli, this sheet-pan salmon with kale makes a quick, healthy, and seriously delicious weeknight dinner.
Modestly adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli’s gorgeous new cookbook, Cook with Me: 150 Recipes For the Home Cook, this sheet-pan blackened salmon with garlicky kale makes a wonderful weeknight dinner. In fact, the recipe is so quick, delicious, and healthy, it’s worth the cost of the book alone. Before roasting, the salmon fillets are coated with olive oil and sprinkled with blackening seasoning — a blend of paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard, and oregano — which is delicious in and of itself. Then, before serving, the salmon is drizzled with honey and lime to brighten the flavor. The garlic-tossed kale is roasted right alongside the fish until slightly crispy, making a lovely side dish.
What You’ll Need To Make Blackened Salmon with Garlicky Kale
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the blackening seasoning. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard, oregano, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. 
Stir until evenly mixed and no lumps remain.
Use 1 tablespoon of the oil to grease a rimmed sheet pan. Place the salmon filets, skin-side down, on the pan, leaving space between them; drizzle the salmon with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
Sprinkle the spice mix evenly over the salmon.
Prepare the Kale: In a medium bowl, combine the kale with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the minced garlic, and a pinch of salt.
Using tongs, toss well.
Arrange the kale all around (but not covering) the salmon; it’s okay to pile it up a bit, as it will shrink significantly as it roasts.
Place the pan on the lower-middle rack and roast for 12 to 14 minutes for medium-cooked salmon. (If you prefer your salmon medium-rare, cook 10 to 12 minutes. For well-done, cook 15 to 17 minutes.) Remove the pan from the oven and drizzle the honey over the fish. Then sprinkle the lime zest and juice over the fish.
Serve immediately and enjoy.
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Sheet Pan Blackened Salmon with Garlicky Kale
From chef Alex Guarnaschelli, this sheet-pan salmon with kale makes a quick, healthy, and seriously delicious weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 (6 to 8-ounce portions) salmon fillets, skin on
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale (about 8 ounces), stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the lower-middle position.
- Prepare the Salmon: In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard, oregano, and ¾ teaspoon salt; stir until evenly mixed and no lumps remain. Use 1 tablespoon of the oil to grease a rimmed sheet pan. Place the salmon filets, skin-side down, on the pan, leaving space between them; drizzle the salmon with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sprinkle the spice mix evenly over the salmon.
- Prepare the Kale: In a medium bowl, using tongs, toss the kale with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the minced garlic, and a pinch of salt. Arrange it all around (but not covering) the salmon; it's okay to pile it up a bit, as it will shrink significantly as it roasts.
- Place the pan on the lower-middle rack and roast for 12 to 14 minutes for medium-cooked salmon. (If you prefer your salmon medium-rare, cook 10 to 12 minutes. For well-done, cook 15 to 17 minutes.) Remove the pan from the oven and drizzle the honey over the fish. Then sprinkle the lime zest and juice over the fish. Serve immediately.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 557
- Fat: 41 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Sodium: 591 mg
- Cholesterol: 94 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn! I am cooking dinner for several priests from our diocese, one of whom tries to eat a heart-healthy diet. As usual, I turned to you for help. 🙂 I was planning on making this salmon and kale along with your bulgur salad with cucumbers, chickpeas, and lemon as well as your roasted curried carrots. Will those flavors go together well on the plate? Thank you!
Hi Amanda, How lovely of you! The flavors in the bulgur salad are pretty mild, so I do think it’d pair nicely. I’d probably make my roasted carrots with thyme instead of the curried version, just to avoid too many different flavor profiles. I hope everyone enjoys the meal! 🙂
You are such a help! One more thing…due to an allergy, could I sub quinoa for the bulgur? If not, I’ll just make something else for that person. (BTW, I’m also making your baked brie with rosemary and cherries for an app and the pavlova for dessert. The whole meal is à la Jenn!) 😍
Yep, quinoa will work well. 🙂
Couldn’t find Tuscan kale. Would Swiss chard work?
Sure, Mary — or curly kale.
Well I made this last night and lovin the sheet pan dinners in your recipes. I bought some sockeye salmon and the spices were right on with just enough of a kick and the drizzle of honey added a nice sweetness. The kale with garlic was delicious and I did remember to “massage” the kale with the oil, really does make a difference. I took your suggestion Jenn and paired the meal with your Cauliflower Puree with Thyme and Cornbread Muffin recipe altho I used 8in pan instead. Everything was a first for me and will definitely make everything again.
This was easy and so good, everyone loved it. 🙏😋
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Easy, one pan, perfect blend of flavors and super healthy.
Another 5 star recipe; thank you Jen! I made it exactly as written and my husband, who isn’t a huge fan of salmon, said that he would eat this a few times per week. I loved the crispy kale, and the honey and lime juice and zest were perfect counterpoints to the spicy blackened seasoning.
I’m not a salmon fan so, I’m using the rub on chicken thighs that will be grilled. This rub sounds wonderful!
Can you substitute spinach for the kale in this recipe?
Will spinach cook to fast?
I do think it would cook too fast and wouldn’t get nice and crunchy like kale. You could use broccoli or cauliflower florets (cut fairly small). Please LMK how it turns out if you try it with either of these!
I tried this recipe for dinner last night and it was delicious!! The only change I made was to take the salmon out about 1 minute and 30 seconds before ready to drizzle the lime and honey and then broil it for the remaining time. As usual your recipe didn’t disappoint!!
Looks great! Can’t wait to try it!! What would you recommend as another side pls. Thanks for all your recipes Jen. My family is a huge fan!
Hi Ash, Glad you enjoy the recipes! I would do puréed cauliflower or cornbread.
The only way I’ll eat salmon is either blackened or cedar plank salmon done on my BBQ or in my oven if we’re not buried in so much snow using the BBQ on an uncovered sundeck would be out of the question.
Love Alex Guarnaschelli and do have her The Home Cook book which I enjoy. I’d love to buy her new cookbook but being in Canada, the book is $43.73 CD which is a bit out of my reach at this time.
I’ll sometimes order cookbooks from the US because they’re so much cheaper but that all hinges on the dollar exchange, export and duty charges being low enough they still keep the book price lower than Canadian prices. Unfortunately, because the exchange on the dollar has dropped in the last while the cookbook plus all other charges would have cost more than buying it in Canada.
That aside
Thanks for posting this great recipe!
All the best
Stay well
Try your local public library. Borrowing for free is a fun way to find recipes to see if it might be worth buying later.
Hi Jen-
This recipe looks really great except I do not care for salmon. Do you think I could substitute another fish like cod?
Yep 🙂
Would you drizzle the honey over cod, too? I’m another salmon hater 😳
Yep – hope you enjoy!