Baked Salmon and Potatoes with Patatas Bravas Sauce
This baked Salmon and Potatoes is what a sheet pan dinner looks like when you actually want to impress someone. Yukon Gold potatoes get par-boiled, roughed up at the edges, and roasted in hot oil at 450°F until golden and craggy; then salmon fillets nestle right into the tray for the final cook, picking up the heat and fat from the potatoes as they finish. Two sauces, one pan, and a Spanish-inspired take on baked salmon and potatoes that has nothing in common with a standard weeknight dinner.
I love a sheet pan dinner as much as anyone, but I wanted one that felt genuinely elevated; something that tasted considered rather than convenient. Patatas bravas is one of my favorite Spanish dishes and bringing that treatment to a salmon dinner felt like a great idea. The bravas sauce is built properly with garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne, and cumin bloomed in olive oil before the tomatoes go in, finished with sherry vinegar for that sharp, glossy, deeply spiced sauce that makes patatas bravas worth ordering every time. If you love salmon, you will also want to try my Slow Roasted Salmon with Spring Risotto or Salmon with Coconut Curry.
Ingredients Notes
The potatoes need to be par-boiled before they go in the oven; this is what gives you a craggy, crispy exterior with a fluffy interior rather than a dense roasted potato that never quite gets there. While still hot, shake them in the colander to rough up the edges; those ragged bits are what go extra craggy in the oven. For the bravas sauce, bloom the spices in the olive oil before the tomatoes go in; 30 seconds of smoked paprika, cayenne, and cumin in hot oil is what gives the sauce its deep, rounded flavor rather than a raw spice taste. Sherry vinegar is worth seeking out for the finish; it adds a sharp, slightly nutty acidity that red wine vinegar cannot replicate. And pat the salmon completely dry before seasoning; surface moisture is the enemy of caramelization under the broiler.
A Few Testing Notes:
The most important test in developing this recipe was the potato method. Roasting the Yukon Golds straight from raw at 450°F gave me potatoes that cooked through fine but never crisped properly; dense where they should have been craggy. Par-boiling first, then roughing up the edges in the colander, was the fix. It adds 15 minutes, but it is completely non-negotiable for this recipe. If you par-boil then croast, you’ll get perfectly crispy edges with a soft creamy interior.
How to Make Salmon with Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large pot of generously salted cold water, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes until just fork-tender.
2. Drain and steam dry for 5 minutes, then shake the colander firmly to rough up the edges; those ragged bits are what go extra craggy in the oven.
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Pour olive oil onto a large rimmed baking sheet and heat in the oven for 5 minutes until shimmering.
4. Add the potatoes to the hot oil, toss to coat, season with kosher salt, and roast for 25 minutes, flipping once halfway, until golden and beginning to crisp.
5. While the potatoes roast, make the bravas sauce. Cook the garlic in olive oil for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then add the smoked paprika, cayenne, and cumin and stir for 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
6. Add the crushed tomatoes, sherry vinegar, sugar, and salt and simmer for 12 minutes until thick and glossy. Keep warm on a low flame.
7. While the bravas sauce simmers, make the aioli. Whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, smoked paprika, and salt until smooth. Refrigerate until plating.
8. Pat the salmon fillets completely dry, drizzle with olive oil, and season all over with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
9. Pull the potato tray from the oven, push the potatoes apart to create four gaps, and nestle the salmon fillets in amongst them. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes until just cooked through with a slight blush at the center, then switch to broil for the final 2-3 minutes. Watch closely.
10. Pour bravas sauce across the base of a large serving platter, lift the potatoes and salmon on top, swoosh the aioli across, scatter the parsley and chives, finish with a drizzle of olive oil, and tuck lemon wedges around the edges. Serve immediately.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see it! Tag @alliehagerty on Instagram and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!
Baked Salmon and Potatoes with Patatas Bravas Sauce
Equipment
- Large pot
- Colander
- Large rimmed baking sheet
- Small bowl
- whisk
- Small saucepan
- cutting board
- Knife
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1.5-inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt for finishing
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika for finishing
For the aioli
- 3/4 cup good quality mayonnaise
- 3 garlic cloves finely grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the bravas sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely grated or minced
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the salmon
- 4 skinless salmon fillets about 6 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper coarsely ground
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
To finish
- 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons cut into wedges
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot of generously salted cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, until just fork-tender but still holding their shape. Drain, return the potatoes to the pot, and shake firmly to rough up the edges — those ragged bits are what make the potatoes extra crispy.2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (230°C). Pour the olive oil onto a large rimmed baking sheet and heat in the oven for 5 minutes until shimmering. Add the potatoes, toss to coat in the hot oil, and season with kosher salt. Roast for 25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until deep golden and beginning to crisp. Use this time to make both sauces.2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, grated garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, smoked paprika, and salt until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to plate.3/4 cup good quality mayonnaise, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the smoked paprika, cayenne, and cumin and stir for 30 seconds to bloom the spices — the oil will turn a deep rust color. Add the crushed tomatoes, sherry vinegar, sugar, and salt. Simmer for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy. Keep warm on low.3 tablespoons olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, 3 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pat the salmon fillets dry. Drizzle with olive oil and season all over with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.4 skinless salmon fillets, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pull the potato tray from the oven at the 25-minute mark. Push the potatoes apart to make four gaps and nestle the salmon snugly among them. Return to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until just cooked through with a slight blush at the center. Switch to broil for the final 2 to 3 minutes to caramelize the top — keep a close eye on it, as it can burn quickly.
- Dust the hot potatoes with flaky salt and smoked paprika. Spoon the bravas sauce generously across the base of a large serving platter, then lift the potatoes and salmon on top. Spoon more bravas over everything, swoop the aioli across in loose strokes, and scatter the parsley and chives. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lemon wedges tucked around the edges. Serve immediately.1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons chives, 2 lemons
Notes
- Par-boil the potatoes and rough up the edges. Skipping this step is the difference between a crispy, craggy potato and a dense one that never fully crisps. Shake them in the colander while still hot to create those ragged edges that go extra golden in the oven.
- Heat the oil on the baking sheet first. Five minutes in a 450°F oven before the potatoes go in means they hit hot fat immediately and start crisping from the first second rather than steaming in cold oil.
- Bloom the spices before the tomatoes go in. Thirty seconds of smoked paprika, cayenne, and cumin stirred in hot oil is what gives the bravas sauce its deep, rounded flavor. Add the tomatoes too early and you lose that depth entirely.
- Watch the broiler closely. The final 2-3 minutes under the broiler caramelizes the top of the salmon fast. It can go from perfect to overdone in under a minute so do not walk away from the oven.
- Storage: The bravas sauce keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezes well for up to 3 months. The potatoes are best eaten fresh; they lose their crispiness as they sit. The salmon is best eaten the day it is made.