Recipes › Easy comfort dinners› Crispy salmon sheet-pan with broccoli and lemon orzo
Easy comfort dinners · Easy · Serves 4

Crispy salmon sheet-pan with broccoli and lemon orzo

Salmon fillets and broccoli florets roast on one sheet pan while orzo simmers in lemony broth. Forty minutes, 35 grams of protein, mostly hands-off.

Anna Lind Harper
by Anna Lind Harper
Tested twice · Published 2026-06-07
A parchment-lined half-sheet pan straight from the oven on a folded striped cream-and-blue linen tea towel on a white marble counter, holding four salmon fillets with deeply golden crispy edges and pale-pink moist centers, surrounded by deeply charred broccoli florets, smashed garlic cloves, and a halved lemon (cut-side up). Scattered fresh dill sprigs and chopped chives across the pan. Beside the pan: a wide cream-speckled stoneware bowl of cooked lemon orzo glossy with butter and dotted with bright green herbs, a small dish of flaky salt, and a small clear glass cruet of olive oil. Soft afternoon kitchen light.
Prep
8 min
Cook
32 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
easy

This is the Sunday-coded dinner I make when I want salmon but I don't want salmon-and-rice for the third time. The salmon and broccoli share a sheet pan, the orzo simmers in lemony broth on the stove (it cooks in 9 minutes), and the whole thing comes together in 40 minutes with about 8 minutes of actual work.

The orzo is the small turn that makes this feel like a real recipe and not just a piece of fish on a plate. Cooked in chicken broth instead of water, finished with a squeeze of lemon and a knot of butter, it picks up the salmon juices when you spoon it onto the plate. Healthy-ish, comforting, weeknight-friendly.

“One sheet pan, one small pot, forty minutes. The kind of salmon dinner that feels like more effort than it is.”
Why this one earns a weeknight

What you'll love about it

  • 01One sheet pan and one small pot, mostly hands-off. About 8 minutes of actual work spread across 40 minutes of cooking.
  • 02Around 35 grams of protein per serving. The salmon does most of the work; the orzo and broccoli fill out the plate.
  • 03Broccoli that's deeply charred at the edges (not steamed) is the move. Roasting it on the same pan picks up the salmon juices.
  • 04Easy to flex: swap broccoli for cauliflower or asparagus, swap orzo for couscous or rice, swap salmon for arctic char or trout.
A pair of hands in an oatmeal cardigan over a fitted white tee arranging four salmon fillets onto the open half of a parchment-lined half-sheet pan that already holds pre-roasted lightly charred broccoli florets pushed to one side. Smashed garlic cloves and a halved lemon are tucked into open corners. On the marble counter beside the pan: a small dish of ground coriander with a small wooden spoon, a small bowl of kosher salt, and a folded striped cream-and-blue linen tea towel.
The broccoli gets an 8-minute head start. Push it to one side to make room for the salmon; they finish together.
Ingredients

For the sheet pan

  • 1 lbbroccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
  • 4salmon fillets
  • 3 Tbspolive oil, divided
  • 1 tspkosher salt, divided
  • ½ tspblack pepper
  • 1 tspground coriander
  • 3garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1lemon, halved

For the lemon orzo

  • 1 cupdry orzo pasta
  • 2¼ cupslow-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Tbspunsalted butter
  • 1 Tbspfresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsplemon zest
  • ½ tspkosher salt

To finish

  • 2 Tbspfresh dill, chopped
  • 2 Tbspfresh chives, finely chopped
  • flaky salt and cracked black pepper
Method

How I make it

  1. 01
    Heat the oven, start the broccoli.
    Preheat the oven to 425°F. On a parchment-lined half-sheet pan, toss the broccoli florets with 2 Tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt, and the ground coriander. Spread on one half of the pan (leaving the other half empty for the salmon). Roast for 8 minutes; broccoli needs a head start to char.
  2. 02
    Season the salmon.
    While the broccoli starts, pat the salmon fillets dry. Rub each with the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, the ½ tsp salt, and the black pepper.
  3. 03
    Add the salmon.
    Pull the sheet pan from the oven. Push the broccoli to the very edge to make room. Lay the salmon fillets skin-side down on the open half. Tuck the smashed garlic and the halved lemon (cut-side up) into open corners. Return to the oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily but is still just glossy in the center and the broccoli is deeply charred at the edges.
  4. 04
    Simmer the orzo while it roasts.
    While the sheet pan finishes, bring the chicken broth to a low boil in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and ½ tsp salt. Cook 8 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth has been absorbed and the orzo is tender. Stir in the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Taste; adjust salt.
    A pair of hands in an oatmeal cardigan over a fitted white tee stirring a wide cream-speckled stoneware bowl of cooked lemon orzo with a wooden spoon. The orzo glistens with melted butter and is dotted with chopped fresh dill and chives. The sheet pan of crispy salmon and charred broccoli sits softly out of focus behind the bowl, with a halved roasted lemon and a folded striped cream-and-blue linen tea towel at the edges of the white marble counter.
    Cook the orzo in chicken broth, not water. The broth gives it a savory backbone that water never quite manages.
  5. 05
    Finish and serve.
    Pull the sheet pan from the oven. Squeeze the roasted halved lemon over the salmon and broccoli. Scatter the chopped dill and chives across the whole pan. Plate by spooning a generous bed of lemon orzo onto each plate, topping with a salmon fillet, a pile of broccoli, and the pan juices. Finish with flaky salt and cracked black pepper.
Macro close-up of a fork flaking apart one salmon fillet on a sheet pan, revealing the moist pale-pink interior layers contrasting with the deeply golden caramelized edge. A piece of softened smashed garlic, fresh dill leaves scattered on top, a few cracks of black pepper, and a charred broccoli floret at one edge of the frame complete the scene.
A note from Anna

Don't crowd the sheet pan. Broccoli and salmon both want space; vegetables that touch each other steam instead of caramelize, and the charred edges on the broccoli are what give the dish its flavor. If your sheet pan feels small, use two pans rather than piling everything onto one.

What to serve with it

Round out the table.

  • ·01
    A simple arugula salad
    Dressed with olive oil, lemon, flaky salt.
  • ·02
    A glass of chilled rosé
    Or sparkling water with cucumber.
  • ·03
    Crusty bread
    For sopping up the pan juices and the buttery orzo.
Storage & reheating

Keeping the leftovers good.

Fridge: Keeps for 3 days in a sealed container. The orzo absorbs more flavor overnight.

Reheat: Salmon and broccoli in a 350°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes. The orzo reheats well on the stove with a splash of water. Skip the microwave for the salmon; it overcooks.

Make ahead: Cut the broccoli florets and pre-mix the spice rub up to a day ahead.

Freezer: Not recommended for the salmon and broccoli. The orzo alone freezes fine.

Recipe card

Crispy salmon sheet-pan with broccoli and lemon orzo

Salmon fillets and broccoli florets roast on one sheet pan while orzo simmers in lemony broth. Forty minutes, 35 grams of protein, mostly hands-off.

Prep
8 min
Cook
32 min
Serves
4
Total
40 min
Ingredients
  • 1 lb broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
  • 4 salmon fillets
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 cup dry orzo pasta
  • 2¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
  • flaky salt and cracked black pepper
Method (short version)
  1. 01Heat the oven, start the broccoli.
  2. 02Season the salmon.
  3. 03Add the salmon.
  4. 04Simmer the orzo while it roasts.
  5. 05Finish and serve.

Nutrition information is an estimate. See full nutrition disclaimer.

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