Herby Citrus Salmon

This Herby Orange and Avocado Salmon is the perfect warm weather main course that everyone will love! Spiced salmon is baked until buttery and delicious. Topped with a shallot herb vinaigrette, avocado, orange segments, and a crunchy snap pea salad it’s a bite full of freshness!

No matter the time of year, salmon is one of our favorite quick weeknight dinner proteins as well as so easy to make for entertaining guests. This Herby Orange and Avocado Salmon was a recipe we made for a dinner party a couple of weeks ago, and we can’t stop thinking about how delicious it was!

It’s so simple to prepare in under an hour and is full of the freshest flavors. You can make the crunchy veggie and citrus salad with any vegetables that you love or are in season. We use oranges, edamame, cucumber, and sugar snap peas for all the crunch. Paired with creamy avocado, it’s a high protein main course that’s also gourmet.

If you love a great salmon dinner recipe, be sure to also try our Teriyaki Salmon Bites and Sticky Apricot Salmon.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• A meal packed with protein. The combination of the fish and the edamame make for a high protein recipe that’s great for workout recovery.
• Simple sheet pan salmon dinner recipe. This is one of the easiest entertaining recipes, we promise! It all comes together on a baking sheet and with a couple of bowls.
• Customize to your liking or the season. Use whatever veggies you love to eat raw in the salad and change up the citrus depending on the time of year.
• Cook salmon the right way with this recipe! We never like when salmon is overcooked, it tends to be very dry. We’ll give you all the tips to making sure your salmon is cooked perfectly every time.

Ingredients

Salmon:

• Salmon fillet: You can buy skin-on or skinless, we will be cooking this in one large piece for the pretty presentation. Cooking individual fillets works well too you will be flaking it!
• Garlic powder: Adds a hint of garlic in each bite.
• Navel orange: I like to use both the zest and the juice for a boost of orange flavor.

Shallot Herb Vinaigrette:

• Shallot: A slightly sweeter version of an onion.
• Navel orange: We’ll use more zest and juice here for even more orange flavor.
• Dijon mustard: Emulsifies the dressing and adds bright flavor.
• White wine vinegar: A lighter in flavor vinegar that also gives tang.
• Chopped parsley and cilantro: The fresh herbs that brighten every bite.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Buy the best quality you can find for your salad dressing, it will make the flavor so much better.

Salad for Topping:

• Navel orange: We will segment the orange for pretty presentation and flavor.
• Sugar snap peas: Adds great crunch.
• English cucumber: Gives a clean flavor with lots of texture.
• Red onion: Rounds out the salad as a whole. If you are not a fan, you can omit.
• Edamame: Buy the already shelled and cook according to package instructions. Adds an extra protein boost!
• Avocado: Creamy and rich to add to the salmon.
• Mixed greens or baby spinach: Optional to use but we love serving these alongside the salmon.

How to Make Orange and Avocado Salmon

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the salmon on top and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1/2 tablespoon orange zest (reserve the remaining for the dressing). Bake for about 20 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
2. In the meantime, make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl add the shallot, 1/4 cup of orange juice and 1 tablespoon orange zest, mustard, white wine vinegar, parsley, and cilantro. While whisking, slowly stream in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. With the remaining two oranges, zest both oranges and the segment them, reserving all juice. Cut the top and bottom off of the navel orange. Then using a smaller knife, carefully cut the skin from top to bottom off of the orange. Using a paring knife, remove each orange segment from the pith into the bowl. There will be extra juice from the orange that will collect in the bowl, reserve this and set it aside for later.
4. When the salmon has finished cooking, remove from the oven. Let cool for 10 minutes. Break the salmon into large pieces and place on a platter. Evenly scatter over the salmon the orange segments from the 2 oranges, cucumber, onion, edamame, sugar snap peas, and avocado. Drizzle with as much of the vinaigrette as you desire.
5. Place the mixed greens on the sides of the broken up salmon. Garnish with more parsley, cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the reserved orange juice that collected at the bottom of the bowl when you segmented the orange slices. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.

Expert Tips

• Swap the orange for grapefruit or another citrus of choice. We love the sweetness of orange, but depending on the season grapefruit or blood orange would also be two great options.
• Customize the veggie salad to the season. We use edamame and sugar snap peas here, but you could also use fennel in the fall and winter and radishes in the spring and summer.
• Try another fish. We love salmon, this recipe would also be delicious with a flaky white fish like cod or halibut.
• You’ll have leftover dressing that’s great! This salad dressing is SO delicious, we love to make it for the whole week to use on all sorts of salads.
• Don’t over cook your salmon. This is key to making this recipe amazing. You want to check that the salmon is pink and opaque in color. Then use the prongs of a fork to make sure it flakes easily and then you’ll know the salmon is done! If you like your salmon more medium or medium-rare on the inside, just cook a little less than the recipe instructions.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

More Easy Dinner Recipes

• White Beans with Greens and Mushrooms
• Lemon Fish with Leeks, Pistachios, and Olives
• Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Green Tahini Sauce
• Tofu and Chickpea Brown Rice Bowl