Anna Louise There are weeknight dinners that feel like effort and weeknight dinners that feel like a treat. This is firmly in the second category. A salmon fillet in a traybake is already quick and easy.
But wrap it in a Thai-inspired glaze of lime, fish sauce, honey, ginger, and chilli, and surround it with vegetables that roast alongside it in the same tin, and suddenly you have something that tastes like a restaurant dish and took twenty minutes of actual work.
I discovered this recipe when I was trying to find something that used the ingredients I always have — a piece of salmon, some vegetables, the Asian condiments that live permanently in my fridge door.
The Thai glaze came together in five minutes and went on the salmon. Forty-five minutes later there was dinner on the table that my whole family ate without a single complaint, which is a rare and wonderful thing.
Mary Berry’s Thai salmon traybake is the properly worked version of that discovery — calibrated quantities, the right combination of vegetables, and a glaze that is both deeply fragrant and caramelised beautifully in the hot oven.
Why This Works So Well as a Traybake
Salmon is an excellent traybake fish because it has enough fat to keep it moist in a hot oven without drying out. The glaze caramelises around the salmon fillet and gives a slightly sticky, golden coating that protects the fish and adds enormous flavour.
The vegetables — chosen specifically for their ability to cook at the same temperature in the same time as the salmon — absorb the glaze that drips from the fish and become something deeply flavoured in their own right.
One tin, one set of washing up, thirty minutes. That is the appeal.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Thai Salmon Traybake
For the Thai Glaze
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (reduced salt if preferred)
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- Juice of 2 limes
- Zest of 1 lime
- 3cm fresh ginger, finely grated
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced (deseeded for less heat)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
For the Traybake
- 4 salmon fillets (about 150g each), skin on
- 200g tenderstem broccoli
- 200g sugar snap peas or mangetout
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into strips
- 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
- 200g baby corn, halved lengthways
To Serve
- Jasmine rice or noodles
- Fresh coriander, roughly torn
- Extra lime wedges
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Extra sliced chilli (optional)
How to Make Mary Berry Thai Salmon Traybake
Step 1 — Make the Thai Glaze
Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, lime juice and zest, grated ginger, grated garlic, sliced chilli, sesame oil, and sunflower oil in a small bowl. Taste it — it should be salty, sweet, sour, and slightly spicy all at once. Adjust any element to your preference.
Step 2 — Prepare and Pre-Roast the Vegetables
Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Line a very large roasting tin with baking parchment.
Place the tenderstem broccoli, red pepper strips, and red onion wedges in the tin. Drizzle with two tablespoons of the Thai glaze and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer.
Roast for fifteen minutes. These vegetables need a head start because they take longer to cook than the salmon.
Step 3 — Add the Salmon and Remaining Vegetables
After fifteen minutes, remove the tin from the oven. Push the partially cooked vegetables to the sides of the tin. Add the baby corn and sugar snap peas — these cook faster and only need the final fifteen minutes.
Place the salmon fillets skin-side down in the centre of the tin, in the space you have made. Spoon or brush the remaining glaze generously over each salmon fillet and over the vegetables.
Step 4 — Roast the Salmon
Return to the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through — it should be opaque throughout but still slightly soft when pressed in the thickest part. The glaze on the salmon should be caramelised and slightly sticky.
Step 5 — Finish and Serve
Scatter fresh coriander and toasted sesame seeds over everything. Add extra lime wedges and sliced chilli. Serve immediately from the tin over jasmine rice or noodles.
My Top Tips For Mary Berry Thai Salmon Traybake
Pre-roast the harder vegetables for 15 minutes first. Tenderstem broccoli, red pepper, and red onion need fifteen minutes at 200°C before the salmon goes in — if everything goes in together, the salmon is overcooked by the time the vegetables are tender. This two-stage approach means everything is perfectly cooked at the same time.
Keep the salmon skin-side down throughout. The skin protects the salmon from direct contact with the hot tin and prevents the bottom from drying out. It also crisps slightly against the hot parchment, which is completely delicious.
Do not overcook the salmon. This is the most important instruction for any salmon recipe. Salmon cooked just to the point where it is opaque throughout — twelve to fifteen minutes at 200°C — is moist, slightly yielding, and genuinely wonderful. Salmon cooked for even five minutes beyond that point is dry and slightly chalky. Check it early.
Taste the glaze before it goes on. The balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy should feel right to you before it goes on the fish. More lime if you want more sharpness. More honey if you want more sweetness. More chilli if you want more heat.
Serve immediately. The salmon continues to cook slightly after it comes out of the oven and the vegetables soften quickly. This is a dish that needs to go from tin to table without delay.
Serving Suggestions
Over jasmine rice with extra lime and fresh coriander — this is the best possible way. With rice noodles tossed in a little sesame oil and soy sauce. With steamed bok choy alongside for extra freshness. As part of a quick Asian-inspired spread with spring rolls or dumplings.
How to Store Mary Berry Thai Salmon Traybake
In the fridge: Store covered for up to 2 days. Salmon is best eaten fresh but keeps reasonably well. Flake the leftover salmon cold into a salad or rice bowl — it is excellent.
Freezing is not recommended — cooked salmon becomes watery and slightly grainy when frozen and defrosted.
Mary Berry Thai Salmon Traybake Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Line a very large roasting tin with parchment.
- Whisk all glaze ingredients together. Taste and adjust.
- Place broccoli, red pepper, and red onion in tin. Drizzle with 2 tbsp glaze — toss to coat. Spread in a single layer. Roast 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Push vegetables to the sides. Add baby corn and sugar snap peas. Place salmon fillets skin-side down in the centre. Spoon remaining glaze generously over salmon and vegetables.
- Roast 12–15 minutes until salmon is just cooked through and glaze is caramelised and sticky.
- Scatter fresh coriander and sesame seeds. Add lime wedges. Serve immediately over rice or noodles.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use other fish instead of salmon?
Yes — sea bass fillets, cod fillets, or trout all work very well with the same glaze and method. Adjust the cooking time depending on thickness — a thinner fillet needs ten to twelve minutes, a thicker one up to eighteen.
Can I make this without fish sauce?
The fish sauce gives the salty, slightly funky umami depth that is characteristic of Thai cooking. If you do not have it, replace with extra soy sauce plus a squeeze of lime. The result is slightly different but still very good.
Can I use different vegetables?
Yes — courgette, pak choi, asparagus, mushrooms, or green beans all work well. The key is choosing vegetables that cook to tenderness in fifteen minutes at 200°C. Harder vegetables — carrots, parsnips — need longer and should be pre-roasted for longer.
Can I marinate the salmon in the glaze?
Yes — marinate for up to thirty minutes in the fridge before roasting. Longer than thirty minutes and the lime juice can start to cure the fish, giving a slightly different texture.
Is this suitable for children?
Leave out the chilli and reduce the fish sauce to one tablespoon for a milder version. Most children enjoy the sweetness of the honey-soy glaze without the heat.
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