This sticky salmon traybake is a one-pan dinner that serves two to three — potatoes and green beans roasted in a deeply flavoured Ballymaloe Relish marinade with soy sauce, garlic, wholegrain mustard, ground coriander and lemon, topped with a small side of salmon finished with extra relish and fresh coriander. A quick pickled red onion and chilli — made in minutes at the start and ready by the time everything else is cooked — adds a bright, sharp, vinegary pop of flavour and colour that lifts the whole dish. One tray to wash up, one delicious dinner on the table in under 45 minutes.

Why I Created This Recipe

This is the dinner I make when I cannot be bothered to wash more than one pan but still want something fresh, nutritious and  satisfying. The Ballymaloe Relish does most of the heavy lifting here — its sweet, spiced, jammy tomato character is the backbone of the marinade, and a handful of storecupboard ingredients bring out its flavour in a way that makes the whole thing taste far more complex than it actually is. The quick pickled onion and chilli are the finishing touch that takes it from a simple traybake to something you would happily serve to other people . This is one of those recipes that looks and tastes like more effort than it was, which is exactly what a weeknight dinner should be.

What Is Ballymaloe Relish?

Ballymaloe Relish is an Irish condiment produced by Ballymaloe Foods, made to a recipe developed at the famous Ballymaloe House in County Cork. It is a rich, sweet and lightly spiced tomato relish with a smooth, almost jammy consistency — somewhere between a ketchup and a chutney in texture, but with a more complex, rounded flavour than either. It contains tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, onions and a blend of spices, and it has a gentle warmth and sweetness that makes it one of the most versatile condiments in the kitchen.

It is widely available in UK supermarkets — usually in the condiments aisle alongside other relishes and chutneys. In this recipe it does double duty — used as the base of the roasting marinade for the potatoes and green beans, and then spooned directly over the salmon for the final stage of cooking, where it caramelises beautifully against the heat of the oven. If you cannot find Ballymaloe Relish, a good quality sweet chilli jam or spiced tomato chutney makes a reasonable substitute — though the original is worth seeking out.

You may also recognise it from the sticky halloumi and slaw slider post, where it is used as a glaze for pan-fried halloumi. It is quickly becoming one of the most-used condiments on this blog, and for very good reason.

A Note on Quick Pickling

The quick pickled red onion and chilli are made at the very start of this recipe. By the time the salmon is cooked and the traybake is ready to serve, they have had around 40 minutes in the pickling liquid and will be bright, sharp and beautifully vibrant.

Quick pickling requires no cooking and no specialist equipment — the vinegar, sugar and salt dissolve together, the onion and chilli go in, and the acidity of the vinegar begins to work almost immediately. Red wine vinegar gives a slightly deeper, more complex result; white wine vinegar gives something cleaner and sharper. Either works well here — use whichever you have.

The onion and chilli should be submerged in the liquid throughout the pickling time. If the vinegar does not quite cover them, add a small splash of boiling water to bring the level up — this also slightly dilutes the vinegar, giving a gentler, more balanced pickle. By the time they go on the finished dish they will be bright pink, slightly softened and ready to cut through the richness of the salmon and the sweetness of the relish.

If you want to explore quick pickling further, the fish finger katsu brothy rice post has a quick pickled cucumber made using exactly the same principle — and is worth reading for a fuller explanation of the technique.

Why You'll Want to Make This Recipe

One Pan, Minimal Washing Up

Everything — potatoes, green beans, salmon, marinade — cooks on a single large baking tray. One pan to wash up, one genuinely excellent dinner. This is the traybake format at its most practical and most satisfying.

The Ballymaloe Relish Marinade

The combination of Ballymaloe Relish, soy sauce, garlic, wholegrain mustard, ground coriander and lemon juice gives a marinade that is sweet, savoury, slightly spiced and deeply flavoured — and it takes around two minutes to mix together. The relish caramelises as it roasts, giving the potatoes and green beans a sticky, glossy coating and the salmon a beautifully lacquered top.

The Quick Pickled Onion and Chilli

This is the detail that makes the dish. The sharp, vinegary onion and chilli scattered over the finished traybake cuts through the richness of the salmon and the sweetness of the relish in a way that makes every mouthful more interesting. Do not skip it.

Fresh, Nutritious and Ready in 45 Minutes

Salmon, green beans and potatoes — a genuinely balanced, nutritious dinner that is ready in under 45 minutes with almost no active cooking time. Most of the 45 minutes is the oven doing the work.

My Top Tips for the Perfect Sticky Salmon Traybake

• Use a floury potato — Maris Piper is ideal. Floury potatoes have a higher starch content than waxy varieties, which means they develop a better golden colour and a fluffier interior during roasting. Waxy potatoes will roast and taste fine but will not achieve the same crisp edges and fluffy centres that make roasted potatoes genuinely excellent.
• Slice the potatoes evenly — around 5mm thick — so they cook in a consistent time. Too thick and they will not cook through in the initial 15 minutes; too thin and they will be overdone before the salmon goes in.
• Do not overcrowd the tray. The potatoes need space around them to roast properly — if they are too close together they will steam rather than roast and will not develop colour. Use the largest baking tray you have, and if needed split the potatoes across two trays for the initial roasting stage.
• Make the quick pickle first, before you do anything else. It needs as much time as possible in the vinegar — even the 40 minutes it gets while everything cooks is on the shorter side, so the sooner it goes in the better.
• Ensure the onion and chilli are fully submerged in the pickling liquid. If the vinegar does not cover them, add a small splash of boiling water to bring the level up. The parts that are not submerged will not pickle evenly.
• Mix the marinade thoroughly before adding it to the tray. The Ballymaloe Relish is quite thick and needs a good stir with the other ingredients to form a cohesive, well-combined sauce rather than a lumpy one.
• Toss the potatoes and green beans in the marinade very thoroughly after the initial 15-minute roast. Every piece should be evenly coated — the marinade needs to cover as much surface area as possible for the best caramelisation.
• Make a proper space in the centre of the tray for the salmon. The salmon needs direct contact with the hot tray to cook evenly from the bottom — if it is resting on top of vegetables rather than the tray surface, it will take longer and may cook unevenly.
• Spoon the extra two tablespoons of Ballymaloe Relish over the salmon generously — this is what gives the top of the salmon its sticky, caramelised, slightly charred finish. Do not be shy with it.
• The salmon is ready when it is tender and flakes easily when pressed gently with a fork. The exact timing will depend on the thickness of the fillet — check from 15 minutes and give it up to 20 if it needs longer. Overcooked salmon is dry and tight; err on the side of slightly less time and check.

Dietary Variations

Gluten-Free

Swap the soy sauce for tamari — a Japanese soy sauce that is naturally gluten-free and virtually identical in flavour. Check the Ballymaloe Relish label if you are strictly gluten-free, though it is generally considered gluten-free. All other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.

Dairy-Free

This recipe contains no dairy as written — no adaptations needed.

Different Fish

The marinade works beautifully with other fish. A side of sea bass or sea bream fillets would be excellent — reduce the final cooking time to around 10–12 minutes as they are thinner than salmon. Cod or haddock fillets also work well and take a similar time to salmon depending on thickness. For a more sustainable option, mackerel fillets are outstanding with this marinade — their richness pairs particularly well with the sweet, spiced relish.

Different Vegetables

Green beans are the recommended choice here for their freshness and slight crunch, but the traybake is very accommodating. Tenderstem broccoli (broccolini), asparagus, courgette (zucchini) or sliced red pepper all work well — add them at the same stage as the green beans and adjust the timing if needed for harder vegetables.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use individual salmon fillets instead of a small side?

Yes — two to three individual salmon fillets work perfectly in place of a small side. Place them skin-side down in the space made in the centre of the tray and spoon the relish over as per the recipe. Individual fillets will likely take slightly less time — check from 12 minutes as they are usually thinner than a whole side.

Do I need to skin the salmon before cooking?

No — cooking the salmon skin-side down on the tray means the skin crisps slightly against the hot tray and protects the flesh above it. It peels away easily after cooking if you prefer not to eat it, or you can eat it — salmon skin that has been roasted at a high temperature until crisp is genuinely delicious.

Can I make the quick pickle in advance?

Yes — the quick pickled onion and chilli can be made up to two days in advance and stored in a sealed jar in the fridge. The flavour continues to develop over time and the pickle will be noticeably more intense and more rounded on day two. It is excellent to have ready in the fridge as it works across a wide range of dishes — rice bowls, noodle soups, tacos, sandwiches and salads.

Can I prepare this traybake in advance?

The marinade can be made up to two days in advance and stored in the fridge. The potatoes can be parboiled or pre-roasted ahead of time if you want to reduce the cooking time on the night. The salmon is best cooked fresh — it does not reheat as well as the vegetables and is always better straight from the oven.

How do I know when the salmon is cooked?

The salmon is ready when it is opaque throughout and flakes easily when pressed gently with a fork. The flesh should separate into clean flakes rather than feeling tight or resistant. Check from 15 minutes — the exact timing depends on the thickness of the fillet. A thin side of salmon may be ready at 15 minutes; a thicker one may need the full 20.