Step 6: Rest and Serve
Allow the dish to rest for 3 to 5 minutes after removing it from the oven before serving. This brief resting period allows the cream cheese sauce to set slightly and makes the portions easier to serve cleanly. Use a wide spatula to lift each fillet onto individual plates, leaving the skin behind in the baking dish if you used skin-on fillets.
Advertisement
What to Serve Alongside
The beauty of a dish this simple is that it pairs well with an equally simple range of side dishes, most of which require no more than 10 minutes of effort. A few reliable options:
- Crusty bread or dinner rolls: Essential for soaking up the cream cheese sauce that pools in the bottom of the baking dish. Good bread alongside this salmon is not optional — it is mandatory
- Simple green salad: A handful of mixed greens with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper takes 3 minutes to assemble and provides a refreshing, acidic contrast to the richness of the salmon
- Roasted vegetables: If you have 30 minutes, toss whatever vegetables you have on hand — broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or zucchini — with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon, and roast them alongside the salmon in the same oven
- Rice or mashed potatoes: For a more substantial meal that will feed a larger family gathering, a pot of steamed rice or a batch of mashed potatoes turns this into a complete, filling dinner that works even for the hungriest guests
- Steamed or microwaved vegetables: For the truly zero-effort approach, a bag of microwaved frozen vegetables — peas, broccoli, or green beans — provides a green element on the plate with virtually no additional time or effort required
