Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil Recipe

This Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil recipe is an ultra-easy dinner to make during your busy weeknights. It’s ready in less than 25 minutes and it’s delicious with salads and roasted veggies.

This Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil is also a great dinner option if you need to make something very quick. It’s ready in less than 25 minutes and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry.

The longest thing you need to do is to melt the butter, mince the garlic and squeeze the lemon juice. Then you just need to whisk everything together, pour over the salmon, season with salt, black pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes, fold the sides of the foil over the salmon and bake it. Then, in 20 minutes or so you’ll have this delicious Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil to serve for dinner. Easy peasy!

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This recipe was first published in March 2017. I updated this post in June 2018 with new pictures and content.

Which type of salmon is best for you?

People always discuss about this topic because of the wild salmon from Alaskan and the farmed Atlantic salmon. Farmed salmon is raised in fish farms, also known as aquacultures. On the other hand, wild salmon is raised in its natural habitat such as rivers and oceans. Also, they both have very different diets whereas wild salmon eats organisms found in its natural environment and farmed salmon eats processed feed. The wild salmon color will be more intense and vibrant than farmed salmon too.

Every time it’s possible (sometime I buy farmed salmon when I can’t find wild salmon at my local store), I buy wild salmon since wild salmon is more nutritious and has fewer toxins that can accumulate in humans than farmed salmon. But, it is important to keep in mind that farmed salmon is still very healthy. Both (farmed or wild) are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A and D, however wild salmon packs more nutritional benefit per ounce.

Is fresh salmon better than frozen to make this recipe?

You can make this recipe with either fresh or frozen salmon. I normally use fresh salmon because I find it easily at my local grocery store. But if for you it’s more convenient to buy frozen salmon, please go for it. Seafood has a very fast freezing process. You can cook frozen salmon on in a pan, in the oven and on the grill. You have to remember to pull the frozen fillet from the freezer in the morning and put it into the fridge to thaw. It’ll be perfect to cook at dinnertime.

But now, this is the last thing that I want to do. I would rather have extra time enjoying my family. Recipes that are baked right in tinfoil is perfect for me. Why? Because it makes clean-up a breeze. If you are like me who hates to leave dirty dishes to do the next day, this Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil recipe is definitely for you.

Can I use parchment paper instead of aluminum foil to make this Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil?

Yes and no. Let me explain it better for you. For this recipe, we’re going to steam the fillet of fish (that’s why you need to wrap it very well) and then we’re going to broil it. If you want to skip the broiler step, you sure can use parchment paper. Just remove the salmon from the oven and make sure it reaches the internal temperature of 145F. But, if you prefer to broil it after the salmon is cooked, you need to use aluminum foil since it can withstand the high temperature.

The steam step is great to keep moisture and the flavour inside the salmon, that’s why this is the most important step. And the broil step gives the salmon a crisp and caramelized crust. Yum!

Can I use Clarified butter (Ghee) to make this recipe?

Before answering this question, let me explain what is ghee. It’ s just a kind of clarified butter that it’s made by melting regular butter over medium high temperature. The butter separates into liquid fats and milk solids. When the milk solids are removed, you have your clarified butter. Because the milk solids are removed, ghee contains less lactose then regular butter. Besides that, ghee has a high smoke point, which is great for cooking.

Although it’s easy to make homemade ghee (here is a great tutorial teaching how to make it), I normally buy ghee online at Amazon, just because it’s more convenient for me. You can find here a great list of ghee to buy it. And yes, you totally can use ghee to make this recipe, although regular butter is also delicious in this recipe too.

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What is the best seasoning for salmon?

I use to say that salmon goes really well with almost any type of spice you would like to use. But my favourite is always garlic or garlic powder, lemon juice or lemon zest, lots of melted butter/ghee or olive oil, salt and black pepper, Italian seasoning and last but not least fresh parsley or dill. Mm… The best! Simply delicious!

How long do you cook salmon in the oven at 400?

It will depend on the size and the thickness of your salmon filet. If your filet is very thick I would say about 15 minutes in the oven at 400ºF. But it has a normal size I would say about 12-13 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

You can serve this Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil with:

• Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Rice
• Mushroom Cauliflower “Rice” Skillet
• Roasted Vegetables
• Crispy Roasted Green Beans
• Parmesan Lemon Asparagus Skillet

Want other salmon recipes? Try these favorites:

• Low-Carb Salmon Burgers with Avocado Coleslaw recipe: Quick, healthy and delicious meal that’s ready in 20 minutes! It’s also paleo, whole30, and gluten-free.

• Baked Lemon Dijon Salmon: Super simple, easy but flavourful salmon recipe for your busy weeknight family dinner.

• 4-Ingredient Pomegranate Glazed Salmon: It only requires 4-ingredient and the glaze has no added sugar, but has a delicious tangy flavor!

Watch Below How to Make This Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil:

Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil

Yield: 4 people

Prep Time:

5 mins

Cook Time:

18 mins

Total Time:

23 mins

This Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil is an ultra-easy and a flavourful dinner to make during your busy weeknights. It’s ready in less than 30 minutes and is delicious with salads and roasted veggies.

Print Recipe

4.32 from 131 votes

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 1 ¼ pound salmon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic — minced
• 3 tablespoons melted butter or melted Ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon oregano
• ¼  crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley — for garnishing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. The piece of foil should be big enough to fold over and seal the fish.
2. In a small bowl, add lemon juice, garlic, and melted butter or melted ghee. Whisk everything together.
3. Place salmon on prepared baking sheet.
4. Pour the butter mixture over the salmon.
5. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
6. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon. Make sure it is well sealed so the sauce does not leak.
7. Place into oven and bake until cooked for about 12-16 minutes*.
8. Open the foil and broil the fish for 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the fish!
9. Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the foil onto the salmon before serve. Then, garnish with parsley.

Recipe Notes

Suggested sides: Easy Mediterranean Salad, Mashed Cauliflower recipe, Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Roasted Green Beans with Tahini Sauce, Cauliflower "Potato" Salad and this Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower.

If you have salmon leftovers, you can try to make this Salmon Chopped Salad recipe. So good!!

And if you love salmon recipes, I have HERE a list of other delicious salmon recipes for you to try.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baked Salmon recipe, Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil, gluten-free, low-carb, Salmon recipe

All text and images © Olivia / Primavera Kitchen.

Nutrition Information

Amount per serving (1/4) — Calories: 250, Fat: 18.1g, Saturated Fat: 6.9g, Cholesterol: 105mg, Sodium: 201mg, Carbohydrates: 0.5g, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 0.1g, Protein: 29.6g

If you make this recipe, please don't forget to snap a photo and hashtag it #primaverakitchen. I really want to see!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please visit my disclosure page here.

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As a memory, I kept the original photo from 2017!