Sheet Pan Balsamic Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes & Zucchini

Sheet pan dinner features include: The best ones have those moments where you look at the frying pan and think, “Wow! This is much better than I expected. The whole point of this type of diet is that the end result feels like more than the sum of its parts. And that’s certainly true for this peak summer balsamic salmon.

Why this balsamic salmon is always delicious

Here’s how this is done: First, roast cherry tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, and shallots at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. That is until everything is soft and the tomatoes begin to crack and clog at the edges. Next, turn the broiler on, sandwich the salmon among the vegetables, and finish the entire pot over high heat. After a few minutes, brush the salmon with the balsamic vinegar and honey mixture and caramelize under the broiler for a few more minutes. The glaze coats the whole thing, so it’s sweet and sour, and the edges are a little sticky. When you open the oven, the smell draws everyone to the kitchen and asks when dinner will be ready.

this is what i keep It’s always in rotation. Not only delicious, but Because it’s an easy dinner (30 minutes, which means you can make it without stress at the end of a busy day). Plus, I love that it’s all done in one skillet and somehow feels like a dinner you’d order at a restaurant (even though you made it all at home, it requires very little cleanup).

Vegetables that make salmon taste like summer

The vegetables make for a summery, flavorful dish. If you take a regular zucchini or a baby zucchini (if you can find it at the farmers market, pick it up) and halve it lengthwise, the cut side will hit the pan and caramelize, the cherry tomatoes will pop, and a little sauce will collect around the salmon. Garlic and shallots are roasted until tender, sweet and jammy, and lemon and fresh thyme brighten the mood.

Two-ingredient balsamic glaze

The glaze only has two ingredients: 3 parts balsamic to 1 part honey. Just mix it up in a small bowl while the vegetables are initially roasting in the oven. As a result, the taste becomes more complex. The balsamic gives it a punch of acidity, rounded out by the honey and thickened under the broiler to create a glaze on the salmon.

How to use a broiler (without overdoing it)

A broiler lesson I learned the hard way (more times than I can count) is that it works fast. It takes 3 minutes before glazing and another 2-3 minutes after that. Direct heat from above caramelizes the glaze, creating a golden crust. The salmon remains tender because it is only exposed to high heat for a total of a few minutes. Depending on your preference, I like my salmon to be just cooked through and slightly translucent in the middle.

The final touch to bring everything together

When your balsamic salmon comes out of the oven, I highly recommend squeezing a roasted lemon wheel all over it and sprinkling some fresh basil all over it to cut through the richness. Also, the whole pot looks very luxurious when serving family-style food at the table.

This is a dinner I want to have all summer long. It’s a Mediterranean diet recipe that’s light enough for a sunny patio meal and so satisfying and luxurious that no one’s rummaging through the pantry an hour later.

If you’re looking for an easy salmon recipe to have in your weeknight rotation, this is it. See the full recipe below. If you try it, let us know in the comments.

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