Sheet Pan Caprese Salmon

At a glance

What stands out: Sheet pan caprese salmon combines flaky salmon, jammy roasted tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and basil pesto in one straightforward, flavor-packed dinner with minimal cleanup.

How long it takes: 40 minutes (including rest time)
Equipment you’ll need: large rimmed sheet pan, small mixing bowl
Servings: 4

Sheet Pan Salmon With Caprese Flavors

Caprese isn’t just for salad (or caprese pasta salad). Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil is a combination that works on just about everything — including salmon. It works beautifully. Everything goes on one pan, it’s on the table fast, and it looks impressive enough to serve to company.

We tested this one a few different ways, and found a way to make it without the mozzarella getting rubbery. It’s straightforward and rich.

What makes it special:

• One pan, straightforward peasy. Like our Greek salmon sheet pan dinner and other reader-favorite sheet pan dinners, this sheet pan caprese salmon cooks on a single pan, which makes prep, cooking, and cleanup so much easier.
• Makes weeknights feel a little fancy. This recipe is straightforward to mix with simple ingredients, but it adds a little restaurant-style flair to your weeknight dinner routine.

What goes in

You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card, but here’s an overview of what you’ll need.

• Salmon: Skin-on or skinless salmon both work well. We recommend cutting a whole fillet into individual portions before cooking for easier serving. The salmon is roasted with a mixture of olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Cherry or grape tomatoes: Roasting concentrates their sweetness and creates a light sauce on the sheet pan, reliable for spooning over the salmon.
• Fresh mozzarella pearls: Small mozzarella pearls distribute evenly throughout the dish, but you can also cut a ball of fresh mozzarella into smaller pieces.
• Prepared basil pesto: You can buy a jar of store-bought pesto to keep this recipe straightforward or make your own. (Here’s our basil pesto recipe.)
• Fresh basil and balsamic glaze (optional): The recipe has plenty of flavor without any garnishes but fresh basil is always welcome. If you’re a fan of balsamic glaze (and we definitely fall into that group!), drizzle a generous amount on the salmon. It’s so tasty!

We use these for everything! We have four of them and they’re in constant rotation from our oven to our sink to our cupboard.

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How it comes together

Give the tomatoes a head start. Preheat your oven to 425°F and lightly coat a large sheet pan with nonstick spray. Spread the tomatoes onto the pan and roast them for about 10 minutes.

Season the salmon. While the tomatoes roast, stir together olive oil, salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper in a small bowl. After the tomatoes have roasted for 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and place the salmon on the sheet pan. Brush or drizzle the seasoning mixture over both the salmon and tomatoes.

Roast. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches about 140°F in the thickest portion. The exact cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your salmon.

Prepare the mozzarella. While the salmon cooks, drain the mozzarella pearls if needed and pat them dry. Toss them with the pesto until evenly coated.

Finish the dish. As soon as the salmon comes out of the oven, scatter the pesto-coated mozzarella pearls over the salmon and tomatoes. Let the pan rest for about 5 minutes. The residual heat will gently warm the mozzarella and soften it, but not melt it into a puddle.

Garnish and serve. Top with fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic glaze if desired. Serve immediately.

Ways to change it

• Add more vegetables. Asparagus, broccoli, or zucchini can roast along with the tomatoes, or stir in baby spinach after removing the pan from the oven.
• Try different pesto varieties. Arugula pesto or spinach pesto would both work well!
• Make it dairy-free. Skip the mozzarella, or replace it with rinsed and drained canned cannellini beans. Make sure you’re using vegan pesto if you need this recipe to be dairy-free.

Ways to serve it

Crusty bread. Keep it straightforward and pick up a loaf of bread at the grocery store. Tear it into pieces for soaking up the tomato-y pesto sauce, or serve it with bread dipping oil. From-scratch Texas toast garlic bread would go well, too!

Salad. Arugula salad pairs especially well with Italian-inspired dishes like this one. Marinated cucumber salad is another straightforward option. For something a little more substantial, we like to serve the salmon with tortellini pasta salad or bruschetta orzo pasta salad.

Roasted potatoes. Spoon any leftover pan sauce over crispy browned air fryer potatoes. Delish!

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Store leftover sheet pan caprese salmon in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Reheat: Warm gently in the microwave or in a covered skillet over low heat.

Leftover Love

Stretch smaller portions of leftovers into a bigger meal by serving them over Instant Pot polenta or tossing them with pasta.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 26 minutes
• Total: 41 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes ( 2 pints)
• 1 ½ pounds salmon fillet (cut into 4 equal portions)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls (see note)
• ¼ cup prepared basil pesto

For Serving (optional):

• fresh basil leaves
• balsamic glaze

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a large rimmed sheet pan with nonstick spray for easy cleanup.
2. Put the tomatoes on the sheet pan and roast for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine oil with salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper.
4. After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Add the salmon to the pan, arranging the tomatoes around it. Drizzle or brush the salmon and tomatoes with olive oil mixture.
5. Roast for 16 to 17 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches 140°F in the thickest part (it will continue cooking slightly as it rests).
6. Meanwhile, drain mozzarella pearls if packed in liquid and pat dry. Place in a small bowl and lightly toss with pesto.
7. When the salmon is finished cooking, remove the pan from the oven, and immediately add the pesto-coated mozzarella pearls to the pan, sprinkling it over the salmon and tomatoes. Wait 5 minutes before serving; the heat of the pan will warm the mozzarella and slightly melt it.
8. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, if desired.

Notes

Salmon: You can use skin-on or skinless salmon. Once the salmon is cooked, it’s fairly straightforward to separate the skin from the salmon when you serve it. As written, each serving is 6 ounces of salmon; adjust the amount to your preference.

Mozzarella: This recipe uses fresh mozzarella pearls (perline) which are often packed in liquid. You can usually find fresh mozzarella in the specialty cheese section of the grocery store. If you buy a round ball of fresh mozzarella, cut it into approximately ½ -inch pieces (pearls are about ½ inch diameter). Ciliegine (cherry-sized) mozzarella should be halved.

Storage: Leftover salmon should be covered and refrigerated promptly. It will keep for a couple of days. Reheat in the microwave or a skillet over low heat just until heated through.