This is no ordinary sheet pan salmon. You will love the unique flavor of the Asian-ingredient sesame sauce and how it sticks to everything in that way. It has a spicy, sweet, and tangy flavor that totally surpasses the ritualistic salt+pepper+salmon trio.

Where to start?

Roasted and glazed sweet-spicy salmon and sweet potato wedges all piled into a bowl with crispy ribbons of bok choy? Yes. Wow. Repeat. 

With a sheet tray and a hot oven, it’s amazing what you can create in 30 minutes. I think you’ll find that the star of this dish is actually the sauce, which adds so much personality to the sweet potatoes and salmon.

And the best part? 

This is a sheet pan to bowl preparation which makes it weeknight possible. 

Instead of rice, sweet potato plays the chewy starch role. Bok choy is your bitter green counterpoint, which gets roasted to perfection. Then there’s salmon. It gets just slightly brown, which, of course, we love.

Now, let’s zero in on the sauce. 

Its got toasted sesame oil, which combines beautifully with the classic Asian flavors. And would you look at that glossy sheen? To give it that slick consistency, you just whisk in a flavorless thickener called xanthan gum. I like it because it’s allergy friendly, but you could replace it with cornstarch if that’s what you have. One thing to note: the sticky magic happens when you heat it.

Optional Add-Ins:

• Avocado, sliced and fanned or cubed

• Green onion, sliced oh-so-thinly on the bias

• Rice – white, brown, sticky or fluffy. I think this is a great dish to try forbidden rice, which has a purple hue when cooked

And if you’re striving for more veggies (who isn’t?), this salmon mash-up makes for one beautifully balanced bowl!

My Eat the Rainbow Philosophy

Creamy, almost candied, sweet potatoes (orange) meet tender ribbons of bok choy (green) on the same tray with the salmon (pink) and Asian-inspired sauce. Colorful ingredients spark my creativity and I know that eating just a little bit of different colored fruits and vegetables every day is a sure way to get more vitamins and nutrients from whole foods.

Sheet Pan Ingredients (Salmon, Veggies, and Sauce)

• sweet potatoes: any sweet potato will work in this recipe; be sure to remove the peel
• bok choy: small or large heads (one per person), cut into 1-inch ribbons; tatsoi, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts make good substitutes
• Avocado oil: for drizzling
• Sea salt: seasoning the vegetables on the tray will draw out moisture and aid in caramelization, which=flavor
• fresh salmon skin-on or off, best flavor will be if the salmon is very fresh; please use clean tweezers to remove any bones
• sesame seeds: preferably buy toasted to save time or toast your own in a dry skillet (note: this can take up to 30 minutes on low heat)

Sesame Glaze Ingredients:

• rice wine vinegar: this is a shelf stable Asian vinegar that has a mild acidity and slightly sweet flavor profile; it’s most similar to white wine vinegar; look for rice wine vinegar (made from fermented white or brown rice) in the Asian ingredient or vinegar/spice aisle of your local grocery store
• Sriracha: an aged chili-garlic sauce available with other Asian condiments in most grocery stores
• tamari: this is your salt/umami source; look for “gluten-free” if you have dietary restrictions; shoyu is a great substitute
• coconut sugar or Evaporated cane sugar: this adds just a touch of sweetness and a hint of umami as well due to being less processed. You can also use a small amount of honey or maple syrup instead but I just really like the way palm sugar tastes in Asian-inspired recipes.
• Xanthan gum: This is used to thicken the sauce. It has a tendency to clump so be sure to whisk it in thoroughly. It is very shelf stable. Cornstarch or arrowroot powder make good substitutes.
• sesame oil: toasted sesame oil is a fabulous, richly flavorful ingredient and has no great substitute.
• avocado oil: this is a flavorless high-heat cooking oil that I love for it’s health properties in cooking; a great alternative in terms of health cooking would be refined coconut oil

Step-by-Step Recipe Rundown

Step 1: Prepare the Vegetables.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. Cut off and discard the root ends of the bok choy; julienne (cut into strips, roughly ½-inch thick).

Step 2: Roast the sweet potatoes. 

Place the sweet potato pieces on a sheet pan. Drizzle with avocado oil and season with salt. Toss to coat and arrange in an even layer. Roast approximately 15 minutes to cook halfway through.

Step 3: Make the sesame glaze.

Add the rice wine vinegar, sriracha, tamari, coconut sugar/cane sugar, xanthan gum, and oils to a small pot. Whisk to combine (note: xanthan gum will clump if you don’t). Set aside.

Step 4: Add the bok choy and salmon to the sheet tray and roast. 

Use a spatula to stir then slide the sweet potatoes to one side of the sheet tray; add the bok choy off to the side making sure to overlap the greens. Drizzle lightly with avocado oil and season with a pinch of salt. Place the salmon (skin side down) off to the other side and rub the top with a very thin layer of glaze, about 1 tablespoon.

Bake for 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon.

Technique Tip: Your salmon should flake easily with a fork when cooked through.

Ingredient Tip: Your sweet potatoes are done when they can be pierced with a fork and have some brown color.

Step 5: Bowl it up.

Just before serving, heat the remaining glaze to a simmer and immediately remove from the heat. Toss the roasted sweet potatoes with the glaze and pile into bowls. Portion off some salmon and bok choy then top with toasted sesame seeds for some crunch.

Sheet Pan Salmon FAQs

Broccoli Sheet Pan Salmon How to Make: You can replace the bok choy with 1 head of broccoli broken into florets. Simply add the florets to the tray and with the salmon and cook until you see some browning.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Asparagus: If making in Spring, you can also replace the bok choy with asparagus. To prepare the asparagus, simply remove the tough end of the stem and then cut into two-inch long sections. Add to the tray with the salmon and bake until slightly crispy.

How long to cook sheet pan salmon: In a 450F oven, you will begin the sweet potatoes only and partially cook through for 15 minutes. You will then add the green vegetable of your choice along with the salmon fillet. Now, continue cooking for 6 to 12 minutes, more or less depending on the thickness of your sweet potato slices and the thickness of your salmon. Total Recipe Cook Time: Approximately 20 to 35 minutes.

Asian Ingredient Online Resources:

If you need to order an ingredient online, here are some quick links to some of my favorite brands:

Eden organic brown rice vinegar and if you do a lot of Asian cooking like I do, you can get a great deal by purchasing a gallon at a time, such as this Marukan Rice Vinegar

I’ve used this Japanese brand of toasted sesame oil and it lasted for up to 1 year at room temperature.

The thing to know about toasting your own sesame seeds is that you should rinse them first and toast in a dry skillet on low heat while stirring occasionally for up to 30 minutes. They are done when golden and very crunchy. Store after they are totally cool for months at room temperature and sprinkle over sushi rice, mango sticky rice, or as a garnish for pumpkin porridge.

Sriracha has a fermented chili-garlic flavor profile. You can use any brand you like but I recently tried the Sky Valley Sriracha and thought it was very fresh tasting.

A bag of coconut sugar is pretty much essential if you ever cook Asian food because it has a savory flavor profile and is far less processed than brown sugar. You can even use it in baking (try my farmer’s carrot cake).

Tamari is my gluten-free soy sauce of choice. If you are not sensitive to gluten, you can buy shoyu if you prefer (it has slightly more umami depth in my opinion). Whatever you do, never buy soy sauce that contains caramel color or flavor; this type of ingredient has an inferior artificial taste because it often does not involve fermenting the soybeans at all.

Photography by Adam Rahman