If you need a salmon dinner on the table in under 30 minutes with almost no cleanup, this is the recipe. A simple garlic butter sauce with melted butter, fresh lemon juice, and minced garlic gets poured over the salmon, sealed in foil, and baked until perfectly flaky. The foil does all the work, locking in every drop of that buttery sauce so the fish stays moist and full of flavour from edge to edge. Pierre asks for this almost every week, and I never get tired of making it.
Why I Always Bake Salmon in Foil
I’ve been making salmon recipes at Primavera Kitchen for over 12 years because we absolutely love salmon so much. If you also love it as much as my family does, I have over 25 salmon recipes on the site, from quick weeknight fillets to meal prep bowls.
Most garlic butter salmon recipes ask you to stand over a hot pan and baste constantly. I’ve done it that way plenty of times and honestly? I always prefer the foil method. Wrapping the salmon creates its own little oven inside the oven and you get perfectly flaky salmon every single time without babysitting the pan.
It is a breeze to make and cleanup takes about 30 seconds. I love serving it with roasted green beans, mashed potatoes, or fluffy rice for a complete weeknight dinner.
Key Ingredients
Salmon — After making this recipe so many times, I’ve found that the quality of your salmon makes a real difference in the final result. Wild-caught is always my first choice. It has a deeper, richer flavour and that beautiful vibrant colour that farmed salmon often lacks. When I’m at the store, I look for bright, firm flesh with no grey patches and no fishy smell. Good fresh salmon should smell like the ocean, clean and mild. I always go for King, Sockeye, or Coho when I can find them. They have the best flavour and hold up beautifully in the foil.
Pro tip: Honestly? Don’t be afraid of frozen salmon. I buy it all the time. Fish that’s been flash-frozen at sea is often fresher than what’s been sitting on ice at the counter for days. I just thaw it overnight in the fridge and it works perfectly every time.
Garlic — I always mince my garlic by hand with a knife and I never use a garlic press for this recipe. When the pieces are too fine, they burn in the hot butter before they have a chance to infuse it with flavour. Hand-minced gives you slightly bigger, irregular pieces that cook more gently and release their flavour slowly into the sauce. Two cloves is what I use, but if you love garlic as much as my family does, three cloves works beautifully too.
Butter — I prefer unsalted butter here because it lets me control exactly how much salt goes into the sauce. When the butter, lemon juice, and seasoning all come together in that foil packet, the flavours are very concentrated. So being able to control the salt matters. That said, salted butter works perfectly fine too, just hold back a little on the kosher salt when you season the fish.
Lemon juice — I always squeeze it fresh. I know bottled lemon juice is convenient, but in a sauce this simple, with so few ingredients, you would honestly taste the difference. Fresh lemon juice is brighter, cleaner, and adds that light citrus lift that makes the garlic butter sauce feel balanced rather than heavy. One lemon is all you need for this recipe.
Seasoning — I use kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper. The oregano adds a subtle earthiness that pairs really well with salmon and the crushed red pepper gives just a little warmth without making it spicy. I’ve also tested this with paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and Italian seasoning and they all work well, so feel free to use what you have on hand.
How To Make Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil
Preheat your oven and prepare the foil — I always preheat to 400F before I do anything else. While the oven is heating up, I cut a large piece of aluminum foil and place it on my baking sheet. It needs to be big enough to fold over and fully seal the salmon. I always go a little bigger than I think I need. A packet that’s too small and can’t close properly will leak sauce all over the baking sheet and you lose everything that makes this recipe special.
Pat the salmon dry — This is a step I never skip, even though the salmon is going straight into a butter sauce. Moisture on the surface of the fish dilutes the flavour of the sauce and can cause the salmon to steam unevenly inside the packet. I just press a few paper towels firmly on both sides and it makes a real difference. Then I place the salmon skin side down on the prepared foil.
Make the garlic butter sauce — In a small bowl, I whisk together the melted butter, fresh lemon juice, and minced garlic until everything is combined. This takes about 30 seconds and it’s worth doing before the salmon goes on the foil so the sauce is ready to pour immediately. I like to taste it at this point. It should smell incredible and taste rich, garlicky, and bright from the lemon.
Pour the sauce and season — I pour the garlic butter sauce slowly and evenly over the whole surface of the salmon, making sure every part gets coated. Then I season generously with kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper. I always season after pouring the sauce so the spices sit on top and don’t get washed to the sides.
Seal the foil tightly — I fold the sides of the foil up and over the salmon and press the edges together firmly to create a well-sealed packet. This is important. If the packet has gaps or isn’t properly sealed, the sauce leaks out onto the baking sheet during baking and you lose the self-basting effect that makes this recipe so good. Take an extra few seconds here and make sure it’s really closed.
Bake — I place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12 to 16 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. A thinner fillet will be done closer to 12 minutes, a thicker one will need the full 16. I always check at 12 minutes just to be safe. Overcooked salmon is dry and chalky and it happens faster than you think.
Broil for the finish — This is my favourite part of the whole recipe. I open the foil carefully (the steam inside is very hot) and slide the baking sheet under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. This step turns the top of the salmon golden and slightly caramelised, and the difference in texture compared to skipping it is very noticeable. Keep a close eye on it though — under the broiler things can go from golden to burnt quickly. I never walk away during this step.
Rest and serve — I remove the salmon from the oven when it flakes easily with a fork or reads 145F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part. Before serving, I spoon some of the garlic butter sauce that has collected in the foil back over the top of the fish. That sauce is too good to leave behind. I finish with a little fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices.
Why I Always Bake Salmon In Foil
Foil-baking creates a sealed steam environment, which does two things. First, the moisture from the lemon juice and butter has nowhere to escape. It circulates around the fish and continuously bastes it. Second, the salmon cooks more gently and evenly than it would exposed in a pan. You’re much less likely to overcook it. The final broil at the end gives you the best of both worlds: the moisture of steaming and a golden, slightly caramelized top.
How to Tell When Salmon Is Done
The FDA recommends 145°F, that’s fully cooked. But I’ve found that pulling the salmon at 125–130°F gives you that silky, just-set texture that most chefs prefer. It’s a personal call. I like mine at about 130°F. It’s cooked through but still moist.
Use a thermometer: Insert it into the thickest part.
- 115–125°F: Medium-rare
- 125–140°F: Medium to well-done
- 140°F: Fully cooked—take it out!
No thermometer? Gently flake the salmon with a fork. It should separate easily and look cooked to your preference.
Know your preference: Like steak, salmon doneness is personal. Try a few levels to find what you like best.
Garlic Butter Salmon (Baked in Foil)
Video
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds salmon fillet
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons melted butter or melted ghee
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish
- lemon slices to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet. The piece of foil should be large enough to fold over and seal the fish.
- In a small bowl, add lemon juice, garlic, and melted butter or melted ghee. Whisk everything together.
- Place the salmon on the prepared baking sheet. Pour the butter mixture over the salmon.
- Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
- Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon. Make sure it is well sealed so that the sauce does not leak. Place the pan into the oven, and bake until cooked, about 12-16 minutes. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the fillet.*
- Open the foil, and broil the fish for 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the fish!
- Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the foil onto the salmon before serving. Then, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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Look delicious !!! i love them 🙂
Thanks!
Can you still make this recipe if the broiler in your oven doesn’t work?
Yes for sure. The broiler is just to give a brown/golden look to the fish.
This is so easy and so wonderful. I kept the recipe to make it again and again. LOVE, Love, LOVE it!!!!!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed this recipe 😉
Ah-maze-zing! First time I’ve ever successfully made salmon, and house doesn’t smell like fish because it’s cooked in a packet. Thank you!
That’s awesome to hear that! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback 😉
My family has never really been a huge fan of Salmon but this recipe looked good so I decided to give it a try. I’m only 20 years d and I’ve been trying really hard to teach myself how to cook. This was Without a doubt the best Salmon I’ve ever had! Everyone else loved it too. It also went very well with the lemon couscous I made.
Ashley, good for you for working hard to learn the skills involved in cooking delicious and healthy meals. You and your loved ones will benefit from your efforts for many decades. Pairing this salmon with lemon couscous was a yummy idea. Sounds like you’re going to be a great cook! Good luck!
Wasn’t cooked nearly enough. Longer and higher.
It depends on the oven. You have to check it every 5 mins after the cooking time!
Hello Olivia,
This was the perfect recipe! Even for someone like me who struggles in the kitchen…. I was able to make something healthy and yummy. Thank you for the inspiration to keep trying!
I’m so happy to hear that, Ximena. Hope you keep making it! This recipe is so easy, but yet very flavourful. I always make this recipe for my family and they love too 😉
This recipe is wonderful, and I used it several times already. I was wondering if it’s ok to make the fish in parchment paper? I read so much about the danger of using aluminum foil in cooking.
Yes, of course! It works just fine 😉
Hi! I was going to try and make this tonight, but was wondering what to do about the skin? I am also a novice in the kitchen!
You bake it with the skin. But if you don’t like it you can remove it after cooking!
The skin is where a lot of the nutrients are. We always eat it with the fish when fully cooked.
I made this tonight. Best Salmon ever! Thank you for the recipe.
Wow thank you! So happy to hear that 😉
This is a fantastic recipe. I’ve done salmon many different ways, but this is one of the easiest, best tasting ones anyone will find. I even used the grill rather than baking in the oven. It works just as well. I actually have already repeated it because it is so quick as well. Going for number three this weekend.
Jay, this makes me so happy to hear! I’m glad you loved it. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and stopping by to leave this lovely review.
Excellent flavor!!!!!!
Thank you so much for stopping by and giving me your review 😉
This was delish
I had my own fresh dill from the garden
Definitely will be using his recipe again!
Excellent! I’m very glad you liked this recipe and thanks a lot for stopping by 😉
Thank you for this recipe. I made baked salmon for the first time with this recipe for my partner and she loved it! It definitely gave me the confidence to keep learning new dishes. The best parts were the kick of flavor, the short cooking time, and the easy clean up. I really appreciated you sharing this.
Wow Karina what a lovely feedback. Thank you so much. Happy to know you and your partner enjoyed this recipe 😉
Great flavors! Easy to make. Next time I will remember to check the salmon every five minutes as I probably overcooked it by five minutes, but it still turned out flaky and delicious. The lemon-garlic-butter is so tasty!
Amazing! Yes, the best way to not overcook the salmon is to check it every five minutes. Glad to know all turned out well 😉
Can i do this with frozen salmon? The bag says not to defrost before cooking …
Sorry, Colleen I can’t answer your question because I’ve never tried making this recipe with a frozen salmon. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out 😉
Replaced lemon with lime. Still delightful.
Happy to know that 😉
I made this 3 times so far for my boyfriend and guests…followed the recipe exactly other than using a higher oven temp…was PERFECT! Absolutely delicious and my favorite salmon recipe!! Thank you!!!
Wow thank you. I’m so happy to know you, your boyfriend and your guests loved this recipe. That’s amazing 😉
This dish is delicious!!!!! Wow can’t believe how good this came out. The salmon is so rich that I was full after a few bites so I refrigerated the salmon. I then had leftover salmon the next day and it tasted even better since the seasoning got a chance to marinate. Highly recommend.
That’s amazing! So happy to hear that. And yes I agree with you I think it tastes even better the next day 😉
This was delicious! Whole family loved it.
Amazing! Happy your whole family enjoyed!
I was given some free Lake Michigan salmon. Never cooked salmon before and truthfully wasn’t a big fan. However this recipe has changed that! I will gladly make this again. Very easy but very flavorful. Eating the leftovers cold in my salad right now.
That’s great. So so so happy to know you enjoyed this recipe. I also love it the leftovers cold in the salad for lunch! Hope you make it more times 😉