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.
debby ward says
this is a keeper. haven’t eaten salmon in awhile but now I will eat salmon again. Both my husband and myself thought the seasoning was perfect and the salmon was so tender. thank you
Olivia says
You’re very welcome! I’m so thrilled to hear you and your husband love this recipe.
Jules says
Literally reviewing this as I eat it! It is so delicious. I’ve never made salmon before and this was absolutely fantastic! I can’t wait to make this for my boyfriend so he thinks I can cook. LOL!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe! The flavor is delicious and the salmon was tender. DON’T DELAY- MAKE TODAY!
Olivia says
I am so excited to hear this! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking time to leave your positive review.
Nikki says
Boyfriend and roommate said it was soo good! Boyfriend hates fish gives it 8/10 thumbs up!
MUST TRY
Olivia says
That’s awesome to hear!
jimmy jackson says
i’ve made this recipe several times love it, but you need to be careful when you broil.
Olivia says
Absolutely! You need to be careful.
Christine says
Just beautiful mouth watering salmon
Olivia says
Indeed!
Jeff says
I made this recipe tonight with a couple of changes. I didn’t have any crushed red pepper flakes so I used a dash of cayenne pepper and a sprinkle of anise in with the garlic butter. I cooked as directed and probably too conservative under the broiler. I just didn’t want to burn the salmon and ruin the entire dish. It could have stayed under the broiler for 3 minutes, I only have it 2. It was delicious! Served with green beans. I was going to make roasted potatoes but this recipe goes so fast I didn’t have time for the potatoes. I do have leftovers and will make the potatoes before reheating the salmon.
Kim says
Simple to make and delicious.
Olivia says
Oh yes!
Aline says
This recipe was great — since I didn’t put on the red pepper flakes. That would have absolutely ruined this dish. Instead, I baked it with two sprigs of fresh rosemary and several sprigs of fresh lemon thyme, and it was delicious.
Olivia says
Glad you made some changes according to your preference. I love red pepper flakes but if you don’t enjoy it, it’s good that you removed it.
Alice says
This was delicious, and the best part was having all the ingredients on hand.
Thank you for a wonderfully delightful recipe!
Olivia says
You’re very welcome!
FELICIA D DUNNING says
Super easy and so yummy
Olivia says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!