Pair Salmon & Sweet Potatoes In This Nutritious One-Skillet Paleo Dinner
You've heard of a sheet-pan dinner, but what about a skillet dinner? Any one-pot meal is a win if you ask us, and this new take on the concept is one we're certainly going to be trying for ourselves—starting with this one-pan paleo-friendly salmon and sweet potato dish.
The sweet potatoes serve as both a vegetable option and a starchy component for the dish, which works well since sweet potatoes are packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin B6, magnesium, and potassium. For a protein source, salmon is lean and also a great source of coveted omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins.
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As far as flavors go, we may tend to think of maple as more of an all-year thing—one we might just reach for more often in autumn. Adding this natural sweetener to baked goods is something we've gotten quite used to, but adding it to dinner isn't something we've necessarily thought of before. Luckily, it is something Christina Shoemaker thought of when putting together a whole variety of of one-pot dishes in Clean Paleo One-Pot Meals.
"For this particular recipe, I wanted to play off of the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes," she tells mindbodygreen. "I loved the idea of using maple syrup to really make everything taste indulgent and comforting." With the sun setting sooner, a comforting recipe with minimal cleanup is a great option for the quickest route to a cozy evening in.
Maple Salmon With Sweet Potatoes
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced into ¼-inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
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For the salmon:
- 4 wild-caught salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon ghee
For the maple sauce
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoons ghee, melted
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
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Method
- Make the sweet potatoes: Add the oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Stir frequently as you sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Then, cover and cook until softened, another 4 to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the salmon: Pat the salmon dry. (This will help the skin crisp up as it cooks and will reduce the likelihood of it sticking to the pan.) Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Use a spatula to carefully move the sweet potatoes to one side of the skillet. Add the ghee to the empty side. Place the salmon in the ghee, skin-side up. Cook until golden brown on the side pressed into the pan, about 4 minutes.
- While the salmon is cooking, make the maple sauce: Stir together the maple syrup, coconut aminos, melted ghee, and garlic in a small bowl.
- Gently flip the salmon. Pour your maple sauce over everything. Cook until the fish is firm to the touch, opaque, and flakes easily with a fork, about 3 minutes.
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Eliza Sullivan is an SEO Editor at mindbodygreen, where she writes about food, recipes, and nutrition—among other things. She received a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in english literature with honors from Boston University, and she has previously written for Boston Magazine, TheTaste.ie, and SUITCASE magazine.