Salmon with Sweet Chili Lime Butter and Roasted Broccoli

This no-fuss recipe for Salmon with Sweet Chili Lime Butter and Roasted Broccoli yields perfectly cooked salmon every time. It’s a one pan, 40-minute, gluten-free recipe that will make you feel like a kitchen wiz.

Any night that there’s a healthy, fresh dinner on the table is a win. But make it a healthy, fresh, insanely delicious dinner, and that’s really something worth celebrating.

It’s Wednesday morning, so if you’re reading this from a desk, treadmill, mass transit commute somewhere, why don’t you just go ahead and pull yourself up a virtual stool at our kitchen counter. You deserve a little break.

Let us pour you a glass of this floral, bright “Everyday” White by Dreaming Tree Wines and make you a plate of salmon.

Frank and I don’t turn down a dinner out, but we’re also pretty easily sold on the fun of creating our own date night in. And whether that involves a free-form taco night with a few too many perfectly ripe avocados or a more elegant dinner with perfectly cooked salmon fillet, a quiet dinner at home just the two of us can feel pretty special.

What You’ll Love

Three words. Sweet Chili Sauce.

I’m working on a theory that goes something like this. Sweet Chili Sauce makes anything good. Check out this tutorial on homemade Thai Sweet Chili Sauce if you want to make it yourself.

Combine it with butter and lime zest and you have a creamy, 3 ingredient sauce that would be amazing over just about anything.

But you’ll also love this no fuss method for cooking salmon. Covering it with foil is so much more flexible than other faster cooking methods. Cook it a few minutes too long, and the fish will still be tender and flaky.

Perfect for a date night at home where my charming husband and a glass of wine is likely to make me forget to set a timer until the salmon has already been cooking for 5 minutes (or 10?).

Prep Ahead

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon it’s worth mentioning that this is a recipe that would be worthy of a special night at home and can be prepped early in the day for just such an occasion. Just make the recipe right up until it goes back into the oven in Step #5 and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook. (It may take a couple extra minutes to cook straight from the refrigerator.)

Anyone have big plans for Valentine’s Day this year? I’d love to know what you plan to cook in or what fabulous plans you have for going out!

Print Recipe

4.5 from 4 votes

Salmon with Sweet Chili Lime Butter and Roasted Broccoli

This no-fuss, one pan salmon dinner is a great one for guests or for a special night-in. It features bold flavor from sweet chili sauce and fresh lime zest.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Gluten-Free, Main Dish

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Ingredients

• 2 heads Broccoli (about 1.5 pounds total; seems like a lot, but it cooks down)
• 2 red or green Jalapeños, sliced (opt)
• 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 3 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 small Lime, zest and juice
• 1 lb Salmon Fillets
• 2 Tbsp Cilantro Leaves
• Cooked white or brown rice (or pineapple coconut rice), for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• While oven heats, slice broccoli into long, thin spears that include the stems. (You can also just use the top of the broccoli for florets, but the stems will cook to tender in this recipe so they look and taste delicious.) In a mixing bowl, toss broccoli spears with sliced jalapeños and a splash of cooking oil. Spread on a large baking sheet. Roast broccoli until beginning to brown in spots but not completely tender, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile melt butter in the microwave. To the melted butter, add sweet chili sauce and zest from the lime (you'll use the lime juice later).
• Remove pan from the oven and spread broccoli out to form a space in the middle. Place salmon fillets in the center of the pan. Season salmon and broccoli lightly with salt and pepper.
• Pour half the melted butter mixture over the top of the salmon. Cover the entire sheet pan tightly with foil and return pan to the oven.
• Roast the broccoli and salmon until the broccoli is very tender and the salmon flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes (for salmon that is 1.5 inches thick, adjust accordingly).
• When the salmon is done cooking, pour the remaining half of the butter over the salmon. Squeeze lime juice over the salmon and broccoli.
• Serve salmon and broccoli over rice with cilantro leaves on top.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 220mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g

Among the reasons we loved creating this recipe for Dreaming Tree Wines are a) Frank is quite possibly the biggest Dave Matthews fan of all time, b) we love the company’s commitment to sustainability (check out their Facebook page to learn more about those efforts), and c) how sweet are these corks with a musical quote on them? Be sure to check out your local retailer for wine tasting demos!