Try these quick and delicious side dishes for salmon, from 5-minute steamed vegetables to roasted potatoes! They’re perfect for weeknight dinners or special occasions with this heart-healthy fish.
What goes with salmon? Salmon is one of the easiest healthy dinner ideas that I often turn to for quick weeknight meals. But when I’m looking to make it into a meal, it can be hard to find a fast side dish that can compete with the speed of salmon.
After years of recipe testing, here are all my top salmon side dishes, listed in order of total cook time! Stick to the top of the list if you need something fast, and keep scrolling down if you have a little more time.
Best Side Dishes for Salmon
This sheet pan salmon and asparagus meal is my favorite because it cooks the side dish right on the same pan! This shortcut prep time dramatically and results in a delicious dinner paired with rice or orzo.
Here's a secret: frozen peas can taste amazing in 5 minutes. You can transform a bag of peas into an easy side dish that everyone around the table will love with a little olive oil, butter, garlic and lemon.
Total time: 5 minutes
Here's another favorite side to go with salmon: lemon green beans! These beans are so easy to make and come together in 10 minutes, making them perfect for a quick weeknight meal. They come out crisp tender and flavored with zesty lemon. If you've got an Instant Pot, try Instant Pot Green Beans with Lemon.
Total time: 10 minutes
Here’s a clutch pantry staple recipe to serve with salmon: orzo! This rice-shaped pasta is ultra fast to cook, ideal for nights where you need something on the table fast. This orzo recipe is simple but comes out comforting, pairing the tender grains with butter and a hint of lemon.
Total time: 10 minutes
Here's another one of my favorite sides to go with salmon. It's bright green and crisp tender, served with red onion, olive oil, and feta cheese crumbles. If you prefer, try Sauteed Broccoli, Instant Pot Broccoli, or Roasted Broccoli instead. Or go for broccoli's elegant cousin: this Perfect Roasted Broccolini.
Total time: 10 minutes
This tiny pasta is fluffy, flavorful, and takes just 10 minutes to whip up with no cooking required. All you have to do is boil water! This traditional Berber food has swept the globe: its ease of preparation and delightful light texture makes the perfect side for salmon.
Total time: 10 minutes
When it comes to easy side dishes, here's a salad at the top of my list: this arugula salad. It’s quite possibly the easiest salad you’ll make: you don’t even have to make a salad dressing! In 5 to 10 minutes, you’ve got an elegant salad that's perfect with salmon.
These truly are the best sauteed mushrooms, and the meaty flavor is perfect with salmon! They're tender and juicy, with a brightness at the finish. Fresh thyme and oregano give an herby punch.
Total time: 10 minutes
When it comes to quick and impressive side dishes, the elegantly long stems of broccolini make it look fancy. But here’s a secret: you can cook it up in just 5 minutes in a hot skillet. Add a bit of garlic and lemon, and it's ideal for serving with salmon or other fish.
Total time: 10 minutes
Here's a quick side dish for salmon that is elegant and delicious: Sauteed Chard! I highly recommend serving it with toasted pine nuts, which add a nutty essence, and Parmesan cheese, which adds a savory pop.
Total time: 10 minutes
Here’s a salmon side dish you can mix up in minutes: White Bean Salad! It’s bursting with Mediterranean flavor from simple ingredients: bell pepper brings a crunch, parsley an herbaceous bite, and red wine vinegar brings a zing of acidity. Top with a sprinkle of feta, and it’s tasty with minimal effort.
Total time: 10 minutes
Here's a fantastic side to go with salmon, or really any meal! My Italian-style chopped salad is stars crunchy romaine, colorful veggies, Parmesan cheese, and a zesty Homemade Italian Dressing. Adding jarred pepperoncini brings a tang and crunch.
Total time: 15 minutes
This lemon herb steamed cauliflower cooks in minutes and is so tasty. The lemon zest makes it bright, and using Italian seasoning and olive oil gives a savory flair. Even better: it takes only 10 minutes to cook. (Or, try my Instant Pot Cauliflower.)
Total time: 15 minutes
Here’s a delicious salad that pairs perfectly with salmon: Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula and Apples! It’s simple and comes together quickly. The crunch of the apples, creamy goat cheese, and fluffy arugula are the ideal pairing for the tangy sweet dressing.
Total time: 15 minutes
This side dish pairs shaved raw fennel with sweet apple, zingy lemon and savory Parmesan cheese. Delicate fennel fronds make a feathery garnish, and each bite is crunchy with a pop of acidity.
One of my favorite side dishes for salmon is this simple and punchy cucumber salad, with a vinegar-based dressing that packs in tangy, sweet and salty flavor. It’s ideal for just about anytime: summer cookouts or pitch-ins, lunches, or an easy make-ahead side dish you can keep in the fridge for dinners all week.
Total time: 15 minutes
There’s nothing better than crispy Brussels sprouts, except maybe a shaved Brussels sprout salad. But sometimes on weeknights, I need something fast: that doesn’t require preheating an oven or thin shaving with a knife. These Sauteed Brussels Sprouts are so quick to make, and the flavor comes out caramelized on the outside and crisp tender on the inside.
Total time: 15 minutes
Here’s a simple way to dress up fresh green beans as a gourmet side for salmon: Green Beans Almondine! This dish is brilliant: the beans are bright green and perfectly tender, sautéed in butter with garlic and toasted almonds and finished with a little lemon zest.
Total time: 15 minutes
This kale salad recipe is a perfect simple side for salmon! The green leaves are smothered in a lemony, garlicky Parmesan dressing, which is a great fresh pairing for the flaky fish.
Total time: 15 minutes
Here’s the fastest way to get colorful veggies to jump onto your plate: the Ultimate Sautéed Vegetables recipe. These sauteed vegetables are beautifully colored, bursting with flavor and crisp tender in texture. They make a colorful side dish for salmon!
Total time: 20 minutes
Try serving this refreshing Romaine Salad with salmon! The electric green of the romaine leaves, pastel dressing and delicate pink radishes have a fresh monochrome effect tastes as good as it looks. The Green Goddess Dressing smothers it all in herbaceous creaminess.
Farro is a chewy, tender whole grain that's a unique alternative to rice. It's quick to cook and tastes delicious mixed with garlic and fresh herbs! Here it's mixed with sage, thyme and oregano. If you want to dress it up for entertaining, try Farro with Mushrooms & Parmesan.
Total time: 20 minutes
What's better with salmon than crispy Brussels sprouts? This is the best classic Brussels sprouts recipe: they're roasted at very high heat until perfectly salted and crispy.
Total time: 25 minutes
This easy method for cooking sweet potatoes is fast and easy, and it results in the most deliciously moist and tender flesh. Of course, I love Baked Sweet Potatoes. But steaming this orange vegetable makes it so moist, it's perfect for serving with salmon.
Total time: 30 minutes
Want to dress up broccoli? Try this Parmesan broccoli! It’s crispy, crunchy, and irresistible. Roasting broccoli brings a sweetness and lightly charred edges to this healthy green vegetable.
Total time: 30 minutes
Lentils are a perfect protein-packed side to go with salmon! This Mediterranean-style lentil salad is full of flavor. It's fresh and healthy, mixed with crunchy veggies and feta cheese. It’s a tasty way to add plant based protein alongside fish.
Total time: 30 minutes
Cornbread is a great side dish for salmon, and this skillet corn bread is one of my favorites. Bake it up and it has just the right thickness, moist crumb, and savory sweetness you want in a great cornbread.
Total time: 35 minutes
The subtle sweetness of the roasted sweet potatoes pairs perfectly with the savory salmon. These are so tasty, lightly seasoned with garlic powder and roasted until caramelized in a hot oven. Also try my Mashed Red Potatoes.
Total time: 35 minutes
Why mash potatoes when you can roast them to a golden crisp? I've always been partial to a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside potato. (Though I do love these Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes!) These oven roasted red potatoes are baked until crispy with garlic powder, then showered with fresh herbs.
Total time: 40 minutes
Steak fries are perfect thick wedges that come out crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside! The traditional steak fry you’ll find in a restaurant is deep fried, but they’re easy to make at home baked in an oven.
Total time: 45 minutes
Tips for Pairing Sides with Salmon
- Think about balance. Recipes with a rich sauce like Honey Glazed Salmon pair well with acidic sides like lemon green beans or cucumber salad. Lighter salmon recipes work with heartier sides like farro or roasted potatoes.
- Match your salmon timing. Salmon cooks quickly, usually 10-15 minutes depending on thickness. Pick sides that cook in similar time frames or that can be prepped ahead and reheated.
- Look for texture contrasts. Salmon has a soft, flaky texture, so I like pairing it with something crispy (roasted Brussels sprouts) or crunchy (chopped salad).
Hello! I love following your recipes and trying new ones. I hope you have some suggestions for me, please. I’m hosting a luncheon and plan to prepare salmon salad sandwiches served on croissants. I’m looking for a light soup recipe that will complement the sandwiches. Do you have any recipe suggestions? Thank you for any help you can provide.
This pea soup might be nice! https://www.acouplecooks.com/pea-soup-rye-croutons-chive-blossoms/