Nordic baked salmon with potatoes and kale
June 26, 2026 · 1 min read
This is the Nordic dinner template in one plate: fish, a whole-food carbohydrate, and a green, finished with a spoon of tart berries. The potatoes and rye-country staples aren't something to count down here — whole-food carbs are part of the pattern.
Thirty minutes start to finish, and it holds for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (about 5 oz each)
- 1.5 lb baby new potatoes
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed (canola) oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large bunch kale, stemmed and torn
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- Small bunch fresh dill, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon wedges and lingonberries, to serve
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Boil the new potatoes in salted water until tender, 15–18 minutes, then drain and toss with butter and most of the dill.
- While the potatoes cook, pat the salmon dry, rub with rapeseed oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake on a lined tray 10–12 minutes, until it flakes.
- Sauté the garlic in a little oil over medium heat for 30 seconds, add the kale with a splash of water, and cook 3–4 minutes until wilted but still bright.
- Plate the salmon with the dill potatoes and kale, scatter the rest of the dill, and serve with lemon and a spoon of lingonberries.
Notes and swaps
Mackerel or trout stand in for salmon without changing the method. New potatoes keep their shape and skin, which is where much of the fiber sits, so leave them unpeeled. Lingonberries are the traditional finish; a little cranberry sauce is a close swap.
Rapeseed (canola) oil is the Nordic cooking fat — keep it as your default and the rest of the pattern follows. Pile on extra kale or add peas to push the vegetables up.
The macros here are an estimate. Tell Nordic Diet Companion "baked salmon with new potatoes and kale" and it reads how the day fit the Nordic pattern — fish, whole foods, greens — without weighing anything. For more like this, see Nordic meal ideas.