RecipesFrom the test kitchen
Baked Salmon with Roasted Sweet Potato
Sockeye salmon over roasted sweet potato wedges and lemony spinach, a dinner that stacks potassium and vitamin A on one sheet pan and one skillet.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 425 F. Scrub the sweet potato, leave the skin on, and cut it into wedges about 3/4 inch thick.
- 2
Toss the wedges with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt. Spread them cut side down on a sheet pan and roast for 15 minutes.
- 3
Pat the salmon fillets dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Flip the sweet potato wedges, slide them to one side of the pan, and lay the fillets skin side down on the open half.
- 4
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily at the thickest point and the wedges are browned at the edges.
- 5
While the salmon finishes, warm the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 6
Add the spinach in big handfuls and toss for 1 to 2 minutes, just until wilted. Pull it off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- 7
Divide the spinach between two plates, top with the salmon, and arrange the sweet potato wedges alongside. Serve warm.
Why this scores well
Original analysis by NutriVerdict
This plate stacks three of the strongest potassium and vitamin A sources in our index. Raw spinach scores a perfect 100 on our Nutrient Density Score and tops the potassium column at 558 mg per 100 grams. Raw sweet potato scores 91 and is one of our flagged vitamin A rich vegetables at 709 micrograms per 100 grams, with another 337 mg of potassium. Sockeye salmon scores 74, carried by 22.2 grams of protein and 367 mg of potassium per 100 grams. Even the supporting cast pulls weight: raw garlic scores 80 with 401 mg of potassium per 100 grams, and raw lemon juice scores 90. Combined, the three headline ingredients deliver over 1,200 mg of potassium per 100 gram serving of each, before you count portion sizes. Want to run your own numbers? Add these foods in our plate builder and see the combined totals update live.
Tips
- Keep the skin on the sweet potato. It crisps in the oven, holds the wedges together, and you keep the fiber that peeling throws away.
- Sockeye is leaner than farmed Atlantic, so it overcooks fast. Pull it as soon as the flesh turns opaque and flakes, usually right at the 10 minute mark for a standard fillet.
- Doubling the recipe? Use two sheet pans so the wedges roast instead of steaming, and rotate the pans halfway through.
Note: This is food, not medical advice. The combination works because salmon, sweet potato, and spinach each contribute potassium from a different food group, while the sweet potato and spinach handle the vitamin A. All figures come from USDA FoodData Central entries tracked in our index.
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