Garlic, fresh herbs and citrus elevate the flavor of this simple seafood meal.

I love salmon. It's such a great canvas for flavor.

And pan-seared like this, it's a little crispy on the outside and beautifully buttery on the inside.

For this meal, I wanted to pick a simple veggie to roast away in the oven while I made a sauce and seared the salmon.

When I was picking up the fish, I spotted some purple sweet potatoes. I had tried purple potatoes before, but never purple sweet potatoes. So I grabbed some to serve as a colorful addition to my meal.

Regular sweet potatoes would be great here, too. Or regular potatoes.

I made this meal when my stepmom was in town visiting, and she absolutely loved it. I have to make it again the next time my dad joins here out here, too, because he loves salmon (although to be honest, I think the color of the potatoes may freak him out a bit - ha!).

This meal is elegant enough to serve for guests, and it's really easy to put together. The salmon is so versatile - it could be served up with any mix of veggies that you like, or even over rice. And feel free to mix up the fresh herb that you use, too! Parsley or chives would be great here also.

📖 Recipe

Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemon-Dill Butter + Roasted Purple Sweet Potatoes

Salmon and purple sweet potatoes on a platter with dill and lemon wedges.

Garlic, fresh herbs and citrus elevate the flavor of this simple seafood meal.

Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli

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Servings: 5 -6 Servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Ingredients

For Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

1 ½ pounds purple sweet potatoes halved lengthwise and sliced into ½-inch thick pieces
4 clove garlic smashed
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

For Lemon-Dill Butter:

½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

For Salmon:

2 pounds skin-on salmon fillets
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon peanut oil
Lemon wedges for garnish

Method

For Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place sweet potatoes and smashed garlic on a large, rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then spread out into a single layer.
Place the tray in the preheated oven and roast for 17 minutes, flip, then roast another 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and a bit crispy.
For Lemon-Dill Butter: While potatoes are roasting, in a small bowl, mix together softened butter, dill, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Place 2 tablespoons of this mixture onto the potatoes when they come out of the oven, stirring to coat, and set the rest aside.
For Salmon: Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the salmon into as many portions as you need, pat the salmon dry with paper towels and season both sides well with salt and pepper. Place the salmon in the pan, skin-side down, and let cook for 2-3 minutes, flip, and continue cooking for another minute or two - until the salmon reaches your desired degree of doneness.
To Serve: Place roasted sweet potatoes on a platter. Arrange salmon fillets on top, adding some of the butter on top of each fillet to melt down into the salmon. Garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!