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.

Blackened salmon with garlicky kale.

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

blackened salmon and kale ingredients

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. blackened salmon seasoning mix

Stir until evenly mixed and no lumps remain.

Small bowl of blackening seasoning.

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.

salmon drizzled with oil on sheet pan

Sprinkle the spice mix evenly over the salmon.

salmon sprinkled with blackening seasoning mix

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.

kale, olive oil, and garlic in bowl

Using tongs, toss well.

tossed kale in bowl with tongsArrange 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.

kale and salmon arranged on sheet pan ready to bake

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.

drizzle blackened salmon with honey and lime

Serve immediately and enjoy.

Blackened salmon with garlicky kale.

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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.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the lower-middle position.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • I have made this recipe numerous times, it is always delicious and a big hit

    • — hillary messer
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn, the supermarkets here in Australia only have curly kale and no Tuscan kale in stock right now, do you think curly kale would work for this recipe? I’ve never cooked with kale before so really don’t know the difference between the two! Thanks so much for your help, love your recipes and looking forward to trying this over the weekend

    • Hi Mel, You can use either here. Hope you enjoy!

  • This is superb, and so easy! Recommend piling the kale a bit more, and then stirring halfway, if you are cooking the salmon more than about 13 min as the kale crisps very quickly.

    And don’t skip the honey + lime squeeze at the end. It makes the dish!!

    Thanks, Jenn!

  • As a general rule I don’t eat kale or salmon. This is very good! I’ve been trying to learn to like salmon and this recipe helps a lot! I did cook the kale and salmon on separate baking sheets bc my husband like how crunchy the kale came out the last time. (I personally loved it!). cooked the kale about 12 mins, and the salmon about 13. Really good and so easy! Thanks Jen!

  • Hello! My husband is not a salmon fan, would any other fish work just as well? Cod? Tilapia?
    Thank you so much!

    • Sure, either would work here. Cooking time may be slightly different so just keep an eye on them. Enjoy!

  • The whole family loves this easy and fast salmon meal. I now put the kale on the baking sheet first and then make room to nestle the salmon pieces within. I usually double the portion of kale (soo delicious and crispy), and it gets unwieldy to pile it around after! 🙂

  • Hi! We love this salmon and I would like to make it for company this Friday night. Do you recommend getting a large piece of salmon and doubling the recipe and cooking time or precutting the pieces before cooking?

    • — Staci Libowsky
    • Reply
    • Glad you liked it, Staci! I’d recommend cutting the salmon into pieces before cooking.

  • Hi Jenn,
    This was lovely! We really enjoyed it. I loved that it came together so quickly. Next time, I think we’ll try barbecuing the salmon and just roast the kale by itself, as we love barbecued blackened fish. The honey and lime zest and juice are genius!

  • Jen this was absolutely the BEST recipe! So simple. better than anything I’ve had in a restaurant!

  • This recipe is amazing! I added some crushed red pepper to the mix and it’s something we’ll have on repeat here. Thanks for sharing!

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