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?
Follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #primaverakitchen. We’d love to see your recreation.
Can this be cooked in an air fryer? How long for defrosted and also for frozen salmon?
I’m sorry I wish I could help you but I don’t have an air fryer so I don’t know if it would work. I’m planing to buy an air fryer soon to start to try some of my popular recipe and see how they go!
In the description you say to preheat the oven to 400. In the recipe itself, it says 375. Which is correct? Also, you caution to avoid using parchment paper if we’re going to boil the salmon. I don’t see anything that mentioned that we should boil at any point. Could you mean broil (with an r)?
Thanks for pointing it out. It’s 400F and yes I meant broil. It was a typo. Sorry about that.
Made this a second time this evening. I used ghee this time instead of the butter. Came out perfect again. My new go to salmon recipe . We all just love this. Thank you so much for another great recipe!
That’s so amazing. Happy to hear that 😉
I am curious about modifying this recipe for the air fryer? If you have suggestions that would be wonderful. Thanks!
You can make this recipe in an air fryer like this one HERE. Then make the sauce in a skillet and pour on top of the salmon.
Quick, easy and delicious! What more could you ask for?
Exactly!!
A little too much garlic but the rest was a delicious blend of flavors. The broil idea really solidified the cooking process.
You can reduce the amount of garlic according to your taste.
I have baked salmon using this recipe several times. Simple and proven, this recipe is a go-to when you don’t want to ruin your expensive salmon by experimenting. Any left-over salmon becomes a part of a salad next day (the salad recipe also from this website.
Thanks for this awesome feedback 😉
I did it with parchment paper and used a thermometer as you suggested 147 degrees, it came out delicious! Thank you for a simple recipe.
Awesome!
I made this for my boyfriend since he had a long day at work and he absolutely loved it!! It was my first time cooking salmon and I’m so happy with how it turned out. It was juicy and flavorful but not too rich. I personally love lemon so I added extra!
Wow I’m so happy to hear that! Your feedback made my day! Thank you so much 😉
My kids request this meal all the time! Soo delicious.
Wow that’s amazing. Happy to hear that!
So delicious! I actually used the recipe but made it from a frozen filet on a grill. Added some time since it was a big piece and it came out delicious! Was a little bit dry but that was my fault as I think I added a little too much time but kids loved the flavors.
Took pictures because it looked amazing!
That’s amazing. Happy you liked it!
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
You’re very welcome! I’m so thrilled to hear you and your husband love this recipe.
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!
I am so excited to hear this! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking time to leave your positive review.
Boyfriend and roommate said it was soo good! Boyfriend hates fish gives it 8/10 thumbs up!
MUST TRY
That’s awesome to hear!
i’ve made this recipe several times love it, but you need to be careful when you broil.
Absolutely! You need to be careful.
Just beautiful mouth watering salmon
Indeed!
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.
Simple to make and delicious.
Oh yes!
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.
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.
This was delicious, and the best part was having all the ingredients on hand.
Thank you for a wonderfully delightful recipe!
You’re very welcome!
Super easy and so yummy
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!