Easy Baked Salmon With Green Beans

About this recipe

Flaky oven-baked pesto salmon with tender green beans and fluffy rice — all in one easy dinner. A wholesome, flavorful meal the whole family will love.

↓ Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy

Watch the recipe

You are sure to be impressed with yourself and your guests will certainly be impressed if you make this baked salmon and green beans recipe, so keep reading on! This baked salmon with green beans is a fast and easy dinner that is great for beginners and convenient for a weeknight dinner. Whether you are hosting your first dinner party or wondering what to have for dinner after a busy day at work, this recipe is for you. I serve this baked pesto salmon with coconut green beans and basmati rice which works great to balance the spice from the red pepper pesto.

If you were anything like me when I started cooking, you would have been intimidated by cooking fish. I used to consciously avoid buying it since after watching a number of cooking shows online, I had assumed that fish could only be cooked well by a professional-level chef. And could you blame me, I am still afraid of overcooking my fish! It’s just so delicate!

When I discovered the foil-baking or boat method as I like to call it, my eyes were wide open.

This baked salmon and green beans was one of my first salmon recipes, and I designed this to be especially beginner-friendly. It is really simple, you only need 3 ingredients!

Also, if you feel queasy about touching salmon for the first time, then please don’t be! My advice is to use a fish spatula or a silicon spatula to gently handle the delicate fish. No mess with a great final product!

What’s So Great About Baking Salmon in Foil?

Flavours locked in and loaded

The best part about placing salmon in foil with the marinade and then sealing it into a boat is that the flavours are locked in completely. The fish cooks within its own steam and whatever marinade you use gets infused into the fish.
The fish always comes out moist and flaky. To be honest with you, I think you really have to try and overcook the fish to spoil the flavour. It is incredibly easily to make great fish with this classic foil technique.

No mess, easy clean up

After finishing up dinner, nobody wants to spend time cleaning up dishes for the rest of the night. The best part about this recipe is you can simply lift, wrap and throw away the foil and give the baking tray a quick rinse. Simple, delicious meal with no cleanup.

Salmon - Great Health Benefits!

Salmon is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and is one of the best sources to consume these healthy fats.
It is also a great source of high-quality protein and is a great source for pescatarians or non-vegetarians alike to incorporate protein in their diet.
In addition, salmon is packed with Vitamin Bs, potassium, selenium and antioxidants.

Learn more about all of the great benefits of salmon in this article by Healthline.

How to Make Baked Salmon and Green Beans

I usually cook 6 inch filets of salmon for generous, individual portions. I find that for pieces of this size, cooking the fish at 400 F for 12-15 minutes works best. I like my fish cooked medium, as the fish is moist yet flaky.

The cooking time can be adjusted if you are cooking a large filet of salmon, and cook until the thickest part of the salmon is at an internal temperature of 125-130 F for a medium salmon. On the other hand, if you want your salmon well-done, cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 158 F at the thickest part, as advised by Health Canada.

To Prepare the Salmon

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Season the salmon with salt. Using a pastry brush, brush the pesto onto the salmon.

Raw salmon fillet seasoned with salt on aluminum foil, ready to be wrapped and baked.

Salmon fillet seasoned with salt and brushed with pesto, placed on aluminum foil before baking.

Raw salmon fillet on foil with pesto being brushed on top using a spoon.

Salmon fillet being brushed with pesto using a blue pastry brush on parchment paper.

Take a large piece of aluminum foil and place salmon in the centre. Starting from the edges, bring edge from each side together seal, going along the length. Seal the sides of the foil as well, the final wrapping will resemble a boat.

Raw salmon fillet with pesto coating wrapped in aluminum foil in a tan baking tray.

Salmon fillet wrapped in aluminum foil on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ready to bake.

Place the salmon on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. I like mine medium which should in the range of 125-130 F.

Baked salmon fillet in foil showing golden-brown, cooked surface with herbs and seasonings, fresh from the oven.

Baked salmon fillet wrapped in foil on a baking sheet, golden brown and cooked through.

To Prepare the Green Beans

I’ll be preparing my coconut green beans recipe. We’ll quickly walk through how to make them here, but if you want more details plus storage and reheating instructions, check out the complete recipe here.

Heat a pan on medium heat and add 1 tsp of olive oil. Add the fresh or frozen green beans into the pan and cook until the oil is well coated on the beans (and they have thawed, if you're using frozen green beans).

Sliced garlic cloves and green beans being sautéed in olive oil in a pan.

Fresh green beans coated in olive oil in a dark pan, beginning to cook.

Add minced garlic, coconut flakes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until they have a sheen and become greener. Serve immediately.

Green beans cooking in a dark pan with minced garlic and coconut flakes sprinkled on top.

Green beans cooking in a pan with garlic and seasonings, glistening with oil and turning bright green.

To Prepare the Rice

Follow my detailed guide on rice and everything nice here.

Tips & Tricks for Baked Salmon and Green Beans

Bake the salmon until right before it is ready. Since the steam is locked into the foil, the fish will continue to cook even after it is taken out of the oven.
To check if your salmon is ready, you can peek inside the thickest part by carefully pulling the centre apart. A more scientific method would be to use an instant read thermometer and verify that the temperature at the thickest part is to your liking.
Do not worry about removing the skin from your salmon. Once cooked, the skin peels off easily.
If you were hoping to eat the skin, baking it will not be the best method, since the skin will become soft and rubbery. Salmon skin is edible and is best enjoyed when pan-seared to a crisp.

Can You Store Salmon in the Refrigerator?▼

Usually, I like to prepare just enough food to ensure there are no leftovers. However, if you end up with any leftovers, you can store cooked salmon in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To serve the salmon again, you can either top it on a green salad or reheat to enjoy the delicious dinner the next day.
To reheat, make sure you heat the salmon until it is warmed all the way through. The most convenient way would be to use a microwave at low power for a few seconds. Any excess reheating may cause the salmon to dry out.

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra

Easy Oven-Baked Salmon with Green Beans and Rice

Flaky oven-baked pesto salmon with tender green beans and fluffy rice — all in one easy dinner. A wholesome, flavorful meal the whole family will love.

Be the first to rate ✦

Saved to your collection

5 min

Prep

15 min

Cook

20 min

Total

servings

medium

Level

Ingredients

Tap any quantity to scale

For the baked pesto salmon

x salmon filets
(15 g) red pepper pestoShop →
salt to tasteShop →

For the green beans

(10 ml) olive oilShop →
(360 g) green beans (thawed if frozen)
garlic cloves, mincedShop →
(3 g) coconut flakesShop →

For the rice

(95 g) basmati riceShop →

Instructions

To make the salmon

1
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Season the salmon with salt. Using a pastry brush, brush the pesto onto the salmon.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Season the salmon with salt. Using a pastry brush, brush the pesto onto the salmon.
2
Take a large piece of aluminium foil and place salmon in the centre. Starting from the edges, bring edge from each side together seal, going along the length. Seal the sides of the foil as well, the final wrapping will resemble a boat.
Take a large piece of aluminium foil and place salmon in the centre. Starting from the edges, bring edge from each side together seal, going along the length. Seal the sides of the foil as well, the final wrapping will resemble a boat.
3
Place the salmon on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. I like mine medium which should be just above 140F.
Place the salmon on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. I like mine medium which should be just above 140°F (60°C).
4
Assemble your plate by adding the beans, salmon, and rice. Serve hot and enjoy :)
Assemble your plate by adding the beans, salmon, and rice. Serve hot and enjoy :)

To make the rice

1
Add rice with 2 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to boil.
Add rice with 2 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to boil.
2
Once rice comes to boil, put lid on and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until rice is tender.
Once rice comes to boil, put lid on and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until rice is tender.

To make the green beans

1
Heat a pan on medium-high heat and add the remaining oil.
Heat a pan on medium-high heat and add the remaining oil.
2
Add the green beans into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until they have a sheen and become greener.
Add the green beans into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until they have a sheen and become greener.
3
Turn the heat off and add mix in the garlic. Finally, sprinkle in the coconut flakes. Mix well and let the beans sit with a lid on for 1 minute.
Turn the heat off and add mix in the garlic. Finally, sprinkle in the coconut flakes. Mix well and let the beans sit with a lid on for 1 minute.

Nutrition per serving

477

Calories

27g

Protein

58g

Carbs

15g

Fat

Fiber

Sugar

354mg

Sodium

Share This Recipe

Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi

Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen

What’s So Great About Baking Salmon in Foil?

Salmon - Great Health Benefits!