One-Pan Salmon and Root Vegetable Bake
⏱ 15 min prep · 🍳 50 min · 🍽 4
It's 5:30, you've just done the daycare pickup, and dinner still means watching two pots and a frying pan so the salmon and sides land on the table at the same time. This recipe skips the juggling — everything goes into one baking dish.
Potato, carrot, celeriac, fennel and leek are sliced thin and layered into a creamy garlic sauce, then the dish goes into the oven for 40 minutes with no attention needed. The salmon goes on top for the final 10 minutes — just long enough to cook through without drying out.
The result is one dish and one load in the dishwasher: fish and vegetables in the same pan, feeding four, ready in under ninety minutes start to finish.
Ingredients
- 800.000 g laksefilet
- 2.000 ss nøytral olje
- 0.500 pakke persille
- 4.000 stk potet
- 2.000 stk gulrot
- 200.000 g sellerirot
- 0.500 stk fennikel
- 0.500 stk purre, den hvite delen
- 6.000 dl matfløte
- 2.000 fedd hvitløk
Instructions
Fjern skinn fra laksen hvis nødvendig og del den i porsjoner. Vend laksebitene i olje, salt, pepper og hakket persille.
Skrell grønnsaker og skjær dem tynt, ca. 3–4 mm. Legg grønnsakene i en ildfast form.
Varm matfløten i en liten kjele, tilsett hakket hvitløk og smak til med salt og pepper. Hell fløteblandingen over grønnsakene i formen.
Stek formen ved 200°C i ca. 40 minutter, til grønnsakene begynner å bli møre.
Ta formen ut av ovnen, legg laksebitene på toppen av grønnsakene og sett den tilbake i ovnen i ca. 10 minutter, til laksen er gjennomstekt.
This recipe works well for households where one person wants salmon in a rich sauce and another just wants potatoes and carrots with nothing touching — fennel and celeriac lift out easily from the pickiest plate without disturbing the rest of the bake. The cream sauce makes plain root vegetables taste like a real dinner on their own, which helps on the nights salmon is a hard sell to the under-tens. Slide the dish into the oven and use the 40 minutes for something else — unload the dishwasher, tick something off the week's meal plan, or just sit down for five minutes before dinner actually needs serving. It also reheats well enough for a next-day lunchbox portion, which is one less thing to plan on a busy weeknight.
FAQ
Can I use frozen salmon straight in the dish?
Thaw the salmon in the fridge overnight for the best result — frozen fish straight into the oven releases extra liquid and thins out the sauce more than it should. If you do use it frozen, add it after the vegetables have had their full 40 minutes and expect 3–5 minutes longer in the oven. Test with a fork in the thickest part: the salmon is done when it turns opaque and flakes easily.
Can I swap celeriac or fennel if the kids won't touch them?
Both can be replaced with an equal amount of potato or carrot — the oven time and cream sauce stay the same either way. Fennel gives the dish its most distinctive flavor, so if you drop it, a little extra leek fills out the volume nicely. The easier fix is often just to lift the fennel pieces off the kids' plates right before serving — the sauce holds up fine either way.
Can I prep the dish the night before?
The vegetables can be sliced and mixed into the cream sauce the evening before — cover and refrigerate. Let the dish sit out for 20–30 minutes while the oven heats up, and add a few extra minutes of cooking time since everything starts colder than usual. The salmon, though, should go on only once the dish is actually heading into the oven, not sitting overnight on top of the raw vegetables.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Leftovers keep for two days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat gently in the oven at around 300–320°F (150–160°C) or in the microwave on medium power — high heat dries the salmon out and turns it rubbery, while the sauce itself reheats well. If you freeze leftovers, the cream sauce may separate slightly on thawing; stir it back together as it warms.
Can I use a different fish instead of salmon?
Cod fillet or trout work in the same quantity. Cod is leaner and needs less time in the oven than salmon, so check after 6–7 minutes instead of 10. Trout and other oily fish stay juicier in this rich sauce than lean white fish, which dries out faster if it sits in the oven too long.
Can I double the recipe for more guests?
Yes — double the vegetables and cream sauce in a larger dish or two separate ones. The vegetable cooking time stays roughly the same, but check with a knife that the potato and celeriac are tender before adding the salmon. Add extra fish too — two fillets instead of one comfortably feeds six to eight without the sauce running thin relative to the amount of fish.