1-Pan Baked Salmon With Burst Tomatoes Recipe

A 30-minute meal has undeniable appeal. A flavorful dinner that you don't have to spend all day in the kitchen to make? That's a winning combination, and this 1-pan baked salmon with burst tomatoes is yet another option to add to the 30-minute meal list. With just 10 minutes of hands-on time, this recipe leaves you plenty of time to rustle up a side dish and/or pack some lunches for the following day while you wait for the salmon to bake. 

The preparation for the salmon is simple: Put everything into a pan and bake it. While lovely with in-season tomatoes and basil from the garden in the summertime, it's just as flavorful in the dead of winter with greenhouse-grown tomatoes and grocery store basil. 

"This was an absolute slam dunk at my house," says recipe developer Kate Shungu. "The tender salmon, creamy sauce, and combination of tomatoes with basil checks all of the right boxes for a flavorful dinner. It's rich without being overly decadent, since it only calls for ¼ cup of heavy cream. I served it with rice and a leafy green salad on the side to round out the meal."

You can use any variety of salmon for this recipe (coho, Atlantic, sockeye, et cetera). The salmon is seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with a mixture of garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil. After baking, heavy cream, fresh basil, and dried oregano gets stirred in to finish the meal. 

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Place the salmon filets, skin-side down, in a large, oven-safe skillet or baking dish. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt and all of the pepper.

Place the grape tomatoes and minced garlic in the baking dish, surrounding the salmon.

Drizzle the salmon and tomatoes with the olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss gently to combine.

Bake for 20–23 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Remove the salmon from the dish and set aside.

Stir the heavy cream, dried oregano, and torn basil leaves into the tomatoes, mashing the tomatoes slightly until they release their juice.

Serve the salmon, topped with the burst tomatoes, while still warm.

Salmon is a blank slate that you can jazz up in any number of ways. This recipe uses some classic Italian flavors (tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, and oregano) to enhance the fish. But, it's also versatile. Don't have fresh basil? Use half the amount of dried basil, or substitute fresh thyme or fresh parsley. You also don't need to use cherry or grape tomatoes. Any variety of tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces, will taste just the same.

You don't even need salmon for this recipe. Swap the salmon with chicken, mahi mahi, or another white fish. While the heavy cream adds a nice richness to the dish, you can skip it for a dairy-free option.

Whatever swaps you choose, the dish just begs to be served with something to mop up the sauce. Dip homemade focaccia into any extra sauce, or serve the salmon on a bed of rice or pasta. A side salad is also a nice accompaniment. Arugula dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese will pair nicely with the Italian flavors in this dish.

Grill, broil, bake, pan sear — there are plenty of ways to cook salmon. Baking is particularly easy because it's hands-off. It also allows the fish to soak up the flavors of whatever it is baking with. But, bake the salmon too long, and you'll have a tough filet of fish.

There are a few keys to perfectly cooking salmon in the oven. The first is the length of time in the oven. This will vary with the thickness of the salmon filet. Center-cut salmon will take longer to bake than a piece toward the tail, which is thinner. We recommend choosing filets that are similar in thickness so they bake evenly. For this recipe, the salmon filets were approximately one-inch thick. After about 20 minutes in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven, the fish was cooked through and still tender. Adjust the cooking time as needed for thicker or thinner filets. If you're using a thermometer, the salmon should reach at least 145 degrees before you remove it from the oven.

The second key to baked salmon is keeping the fish moist. Since salmon contains some fats, it's not as easy to overcook as most white fish. However, it'll stay even more moist if you add a drizzle of olive oil on top before baking.