You will love how simple and delicious this Baked Salmon Recipe is! The perfect weeknight dinner recipe, ready in 30 minutes or less, makes it ideal! A no-fuss, no-muss recipe, as the tin foil makes clean up super easy. Make this family-favourite recipe tonight for dinner!
Looking for more salmon recipes? Try these ones too: Maple Dijon Salmon and Panko Salmon Crust.
This baked salmon is delicious and loved by my family. Tender, flaky, and full of flavor, it’s sure to be a hit at any meal. I’ve been making this recipe for years now, and every time I prepare it, my family always asks for more.
This easy baked salmon recipe is quick to make and a tasty, healthy dinner choice. When you use garlic butter and lemon to create the sauce, it gives this salmon even depth of flavor.
Ingredients To Make This Baked Salmon
- Salmon — See down below which one you should pick.
- Lemon juice — Fresh lemon juice is best.
- Garlic – Minced.
- Melted butter or melted ghee — Be sure to use unsalted butter.
- Seasoning — I used kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, crushed red pepper.
- Garnish — Chopped parsley and lemon slices to garnish.
- Optional – You can add a tablespoon of dijon mustard to the sauce.
How To Cook Salmon
Prepare the equipment and sauce
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a small bowl, add lemon juice, garlic, and melted butter and whisk until combined.
Prepare the salmon
- Put the salmon on the baking sheet. Pour the butter mix over the salmon.
- Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
Baking salmon
- Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon to fully seal it.
- Place the sheet pan into the oven, and bake salmon until cooked, about 12-16 minutes.
- Open the foil, and broil salmon for 2-3 minutes until the tops are golden. Be careful not to burn the fish by keeping a close eye on it.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. Then, using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the foil onto the baked salmon.
Tip: Do not use parchment paper if you will broil your salmon. Garnish with slices of lemon.
Is Fresh Salmon Better Than Frozen For This Recipe?
Most seafood companies freeze their seafood quickly to keep it fresh. Fresh and frozen fish have the same quality. The only difference is deciding whether to thaw frozen salmon before cooking.
You can make this baked salmon using either fresh or frozen salmon. I normally use fresh salmon filets because they are easier to find at my local grocery store.
I place my salmon in the fridge. When it’s time to cook I take my fillet out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes. Then, use a paper towel to pat the salmon dry and get rid of any excess moisture.
How To Store Leftovers
To Store — Transfer leftover salmon to an airtight glass container and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or, portion this salmon recipe out into meal prep containers to have for lunches throughout the week.
To Freeze — I like to place completely cooled salmon in an airtight freezer-friendly container or freezer bags. Keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
To Reheat — Heat the leftover in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add some olive oil to a hot pan and add the salmon to it. Cook until heated through.
Side Dishes to serve with Baked salmon
Ways to use leftover salmon
- Salmon tacos: shred the salmon up and serve it in a taco and salad.
- Salmon pasta: roughly chop up the leftover and add it to a pasta
- Salmon salad: break up the salmon with a fork and toss it in a leafy salad or greek salad.
- You can make salmon meal-prep for your lunch week since salmon stays go in the fridge for up 4 days.
- You can also make this quick and easy salmon patties.
More Ways To Cook Salmon:
I’ve been cooking salmon for years now and have tested all these different cooking methods. My family loves it, so I often try new salmon recipes to keep things interesting.
Grilling: I love this Cedar Plank Salmon because it grills slowly over soaked cedar plank to bring a delicious smokey flavor to your fish. If you don’t have a cedar plank, you can make this grilled salmon.
Pan-searing: This pan seared salmon is quick and healthy with only four ingredients, ready in under 15 minutes.
Air Fryer: I think this air fryer salmon recipe is the best way to cook salmon. The outside is crispy and the inside is always moist, flaky, and tender.
Broiling: Broiled Salmon is a delicious fish recipe because it rapidly browns the top, creating a savory crust.
More Baked salmon recipes:
- Spicy Salmon Recipe: A quick, healthy, and delicious meal that’s ready in 20 minutes!
- Baked Lemon Dijon Salmon: A super-simple, easy, but flavourful recipe for your busy weeknight family dinner.
- Pomegranate Glazed Salmon: Only four ingredients needed, glaze is sugar-free with a tangy taste!
Frequently Asked Questions
My favourite spices to make the best baked salmon recipe are minced garlic, salt, and black and red pepper. I also love to use paprika, garlic powder, thyme, Italian seasoning and fresh herbs.
Farmed salmon or Atlantic salmon is raised in fish farms, eats a diet of processed feed and contains health benefits such as Omega-3 fatty acids.
Wild salmon live in rivers and oceans, eat natural food, and have bright colors. If I could choose, I would go for wild-caught like coho salmon, sockeye, pink salmon, king salmon, or chinook salmon.
The FDA states that baked salmon reaches full cooking when it reaches an internal temperature of 145F at its thickest part of the salmon.
Garlic Butter Baked Salmon Recipe
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
- ¼ 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.
Tips
- Cook the salmon until it reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF.
- Do not wrap the salmon too tightly as the tin foil can take off some of the salmon, making it less pretty when serving.
- And if you love salmon recipes, try these delicious salmon recipes.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
dina ghobrial says
I love the recipe!! Thank you…but it’s not very clear to me the instructions for broiling then baking..can you explian it please.
Olivia says
You bake it for about 15 minutes and then you set your oven to broil and broil for 5 minutes or less.
Carol Ann Sallis says
Amazing! First time I cooked salmon and wondering now why I waited so long. Recipe was easy and spot on❤️
Olivia says
Awesome!!!
Sally says
Absolutely loved it. My husband is such a picky eater and he hates fish. It this dish he absolutely enjoyed! Thanks so much. So easy to prepare too!!
Olivia says
How awesome!!! Thanks for leaving this great feedback 😉
Roberedwins says
I made this dish earlier this year and I give it a solid 4 2/4 of a star
Olivia says
happy you liked it 😉
Pual says
Yum, I’m going to try it. Usually, we have salmon once a week. Typically we’re going to barbecue, but now that summer is over, I’m going to try this recipe.
Olivia says
Hope you liked it!
Amy Creek McCown says
Quite possibly the worst recipe I have ever followed. Maybe all of the butter was too rich for us, but between the cooking time taking three times as long, the tin foil catching on fire, and the food tasting less than desirable – nothing worked.
Olivia says
Sorry to hear that, Amy. I’ve made this recipe about a thousand times and it always turns out well. Do you think your salmon fillet was too thick and that’s why you increased the cooking time? Also, you can reduce the amount of butter if you don’t like it much.
Julie Lee says
I have made this recipe about a dozen times and it is always beautiful. One of my *go to* recipes now!!
Olivia says
This is amazing! Happy to hear that!
Sydney says
This is literally the best salmon recipe out there! It has become a staple in my house, and I look forward to making it any time we purchase fresh salmon from the grocery store. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Olivia says
I’m so happy to hear it’s a hit, Sydney! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful review!
TJ says
Great recipe that I have made for others multiple times, but I find it has to cook for nearly three times as long as you recommend. Any suggestions for why that could be?
Olivia says
It could be the size of your salmon!
Janice says
I love salmon and have made it several times using this recipe. I don’t get home from work until around 7:00 p.m. and love that this takes no time to prep and bake. I cook it for 15 minutes and broil it for 2 minutes and it always comes out perfect. Thanks for this quick and easy and tasty recipe.
Olivia says
So happy to hear that!! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your feedback.