Roast Salmon With Smashed Olives

Updated Oct. 6, 2025

Roast Salmon With Smashed Olives
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Total Time
1½ hours
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating
Rating
5(283)
Comments
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Salmon is perfect for roasting because it’s such a forgiving fish. The key is salting the fillet ahead of time, which seasons the flesh all the way through and helps it stay juicy, even if you overcook it a little. In this recipe, adapted from my cookbook “Let’s Party” (Union Square & Co., 2025), the salmon is roasted just until cooked then is immediately doused in a floral, herby and briny mix of fresh orange juice, olive oil, roughly chopped olives and parsley, further ensuring that every bite is moist and flavorful.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for greasing
  • 1(4-pound) skin-on salmon fillet, or 2 (2-pound) salmon fillets
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2large oranges, zested and juiced
  • 2(10-ounce) jars pitted Castelvetrano olives, drained, smashed and roughly chopped
  • ½cup finely chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

669 calories; 48 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 48 grams protein; 834 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and grease the surface with olive oil. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and generously season the flesh with salt and pepper. Lay the salmon skin side down on the parchment and let it dry brine in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over the salmon, then bake until golden brown on the edges and cooked through in the center (a thermometer inserted into the center should reach 125 degrees), 10 to 15 minutes for the 2-pound fillets or 15 to 20 minutes for a 4-pound fillet.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil with the orange zest and juice and a big pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir in the olives and parsley.

  4. Step 4

    When the salmon is done, spoon the dressing all over the surface, or transfer to a platter before spooning on the dressing. Let the salmon rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
283 user ratings
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Comments

I made this by the book, the only change was cutting the ingredients in half for our 1.5# of Salmon. Not being an experienced chef, I wondered how orange juice, salmon, and olives would work together but it truly was delicious and we'll be making this again. We love to eat salmon, it's nice to have a new way to prepare it! I let it dry brine for 3 hours.

I just brought home 200 lbs. of Salmon from Alaska, it's nice to have some versatility and different. Yes, the natural flavor of Salmon is AMAZING but when you're eating it every week, IMHO, you need to mix things up.

Delicious. I skipped the brine and baked the salmon at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Love the orange and olive dressing.

I never leave reviews....for anything, but this recipe deserves one. Excellent! I adjusted the recipe for a smaller quantity and it worked great!

Love the olive and orange dresing, it's so simple yet so addictive! This will definitely be my go-to salmon recipe for a while. Also, the extra dressing works great on a simple salad!

Cooked on the grill and it was delicious! Halved the recipe as there are only two of us. Added to the rotation for a nice, different, salmon dish.

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Credits

Adapted from “Let’s Party” by Dan Pelosi (Union Square & Co., 2025)

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