Oven Baked Salmon
Oven Baked Salmon – These moist and flaky salmon filets are generously seasoned with a spicy kick and a lemony flourish. It’s one of those easy, never-fail-you recipes that packs a real flavor punch. 💥
Spicy, lemony, moist—this recipe is everything you could ever want a salmon dinner to be! And honestly, any meal that can work for a fancy date night or a quick weeknight meal holds a special place in my heart.
Plus, this salmon is so tasty that you’ll probably forget it’s also incredibly good for you. Here’s to all the healthy foods that still taste like a treat. 🤩
How to Keep Baked Salmon Moist
Keeping baked salmon moist is pretty simple. The trick is to avoid overcooking it. Ten to fifteen minutes at 400℉ (205℃) works well for me. However, cook times will vary depending on how thick your salmon filets are.
Just start checking them around the 10-minute mark. When the fish loses all opacity and the thickest section flakes easily with a fork, it’s time to pull them out of the oven. They’re done!
Recipe Ingredients
- Salmon – Fresh or frozen salmon filets will work beautifully for this recipe. My only recommendation here is a high-quality filet. The better the quality, the better the flavor.
- Seasonings – You’ll make a kind of paste to coat the filets that starts with butter as a base. Along with the butter, you’ll need garlic, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, fresh parsley, and basil.
- Lemon – The juice adds a nice tang to the salmon, and a few thinly sliced lemon rounds make for a pretty garnish, too! 🍋
How to Bake Salmon in the Oven
- Preheat – Position the oven rack in the center and preheat to 400ºF (205℃). Line a greased baking sheet with foil or parchment paper (like I did), then spray with cooking spray or lightly oil. Set aside.
- Prep the Salmon – Using a sharp knife, make about 4-5 slits on the salmon. Dab dry both sides of the salmon with paper towels—season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Combine the Seasonings – In a small pan set over medium-low heat, add butter, minced garlic, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, parsley, and basil. Stir for 30 seconds to a minute. Then let the mixture sit for a little bit—about 5 minutes— so the flavors meld. Finally, add the lemon juice to the mix.
- Season – Brush the salmon with the spice mixture, ensuring it covers every inch of the salmon.
- Bake – Bake until cooked through, 10-15 minutes, depending on the fillets’ thickness and your preference for doneness. When the thickest part of the salmon easily flakes with a fork, it’s perfectly cooked.
- Serve – Garnish with lemon slices and serve with your favorite sides.
Recipe Variations
- Soy-ginger baked salmon. Combine soy sauce, grated ginger, minced garlic, and a touch of honey. Marinate the salmon in this mixture before baking for an Asian-inspired twist.
- Get tropical! Mix coconut milk, lime juice, minced ginger, and a touch of chili flakes and pour it over the salmon before baking for a refreshing twist. Maybe top it with mango salsa? 🤤
- Go Italian. Spread a layer of basil pesto over the salmon filets and then sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before baking. That adds a rich and herby flavor. Mama mia! 🤌🏿
Tips and Tricks
- To get the freshest possible filets, choose nice and pink salmon, not pale. Make sure it doesn’t smell bad or fishy, and watch out for brown spots or bruising. If you’re buying frozen filets, avoid packages that say “color added” or include non-natural ingredients.
- Keeping the skin on the salmon is another way to keep it nice and moist. Just be sure to bake it skin down, which creates a barrier to hold in the juices. 💦
- Set a timer to avoid overcooking the salmon. Fish cooks fast, and it’s easy to forget about when you’re busy making sides. I always set a kitchen timer to avoid drying out my salmon.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Salmon will stay good in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for up to 3 months, so feel free to make this dish ahead. Just let it cool and refrigerate or freeze it in an airtight container.
Thaw frozen salmon overnight before reheating it. Pop it in the microwave or your oven set to a low temp (325℉/160℃) for about 10 minutes or until just heated through.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve oven-baked salmon fresh from the oven with all your favorite sides. You could also serve this salmon chilled over a salad with fresh greens. Refrigerate leftover salmon fillets in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
What Goes With Oven Baked Salmon
Oven-baked salmon goes with loads of sides. Try serving it with garlic mashed potatoes, creamy orzo, or bacon-wrapped green beans. Or serve it chilled over a strawberry spinach salad. 😋
More Sumptuous Salmon Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”VkWj59UL” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 20:14:42 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Oven Baked Salmon” description=”Oven Baked Salmon – moist and flaky highly seasoned salmon fillets with a lemony and spicy kick. A perfect easy weeknight meal for busy folks or as a low-carb go-to Lenten meal. Spicy, lemony, and moist – everything you want a salmon dinner to be!”]
This blog post was initially published in February 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Oven Baked Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) salmon fillets
- 3-4 tablespoons (42-56g) unsalted butter
- 2-3 teaspoons (6-8g) minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon (7g) onion powder
- 1 tablespoon (7g) paprika
- ½-1 teaspoon (1-2g) cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons (7-10g) fresh parsley or basil (minced)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) or more lemon juice
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF (205℃). Line a baking sheet with foil or baking paper, like I did, spray with cooking spray or lightly oil. Set aside.
- Make 4-5 slits in each salmon fillet with a sharp knife. Dab both sides of the salmon dry with paper towels, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a small pan over medium-low heat. Melt the butter, then add minced garlic, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and parsley or basil. Stir for 30 seconds to a minute. Let this mixture sit for a little bit, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Brush the salmon fillets with the mixture, covering every inch.
- Bake until cooked through, 10-15 minutes, depending on the salmon's thickness and your preferred doneness. The salmon is perfectly cooked when the thickest part easily flakes with a fork.
- Garnish immediately with lemon slices and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- To get the freshest possible filets, choose nice and pink salmon, not pale. Make sure it doesn’t smell bad or fishy, and watch out for brown spots or bruising. If you’re buying frozen filets, avoid packages that say “color added” or include non-natural ingredients.
- Keeping the skin on the salmon is another way to keep it nice and moist. Just be sure to bake it skin down, which creates a barrier to hold in the juices.
- Set a timer to avoid overcooking the salmon. Fish cooks fast, and it’s easy to forget about when you’re busy making sides. I always set a kitchen timer to avoid drying out my salmon.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
This was delicious! The salmon was a bit overdone but I’m still new to cooking fish and I think my fillets were somewhat thin, so I’ll start checking earlier next time. Definitely making this again!
Yayy, happy to see you are improving your cooking skill. Try some more recipes from the blog I am sure you will become a professional chef:)
This salmon was the best!! I did omit cayenne and used fresh dill instead of parsley. But amazing and so easy!
Glad you like it and you can adjust it as per your taste and preference:) Stay tuned to have more easy and quick recipes:)
How long do you bake it. I know it depends but how long did YOU bake it?
This easy dish doesn’t take that long in the oven. Simply bake these salmon here in a preheated oven at 400 F for about 10-15 minutes. Don’t forget to share how it goes:)
Great recipe! I omitted the cayenne pepper, I can’t do spicy.
Yeah, you can adjust as per your taste. Thank you for your feedback!!!
This recipe was very delicious! Very flavorful. Will definately make it again
Great to hear that. Thank you for your feedback.
LOVE this recipe!!!
Thanks Sherri.
Very tasty.
Thank you for trying this. I would say try more recipes and share your experince.
A really nice recipe, I liked this and I will make this again
Love this recipe.It was delicious!!
Delicious! Loved the flavor. Thank you.
Can you please tell me how I unsubscribe from this site. Not because I dont like your recipes. I am overloaded with emails and cant cope.
Hi Jacky! So sorry for that, how often would you like to receive an email from me thogh?
I LOVE THESE RECIPES SO VERY MUCH KEEP SENDING THESE RECIPES TO ME PLEASE!!!
Sure Angela! Are you subscribe to our newsletters?
This is the best salmon recipe if you like a little spice to your food. I follow the recipe exactly every time and it always turns out perfect ( I probably use a little more lemon than the recipe yields but I don’t measure the lemon so who knows). My kids now love salmon and request it often. Salmon is a little pricey, but it is always worth it when I use this recipe.
Hi Jessica! Thanks so much! This is really the easiest fave recipe. Another salmon recipe you might want to try (if you haven’t yet) is Orange Honey Glazed Salmon. Enjoy!
Thoroughly enjoyed this meal. Ingredients readily available in the pantry and easy and quick to make. Cannot wait to make again. This time, I will go easy on the lemon juice in the sauce. Mine was too watery. Next time I will ensure that it is more of a paste. But it still was good!
Yay! Glad you still enjoyed it, Wanda. Another hit salmon recipe of mine is Pan Seared Salmon, super easy to make, too! 🙂
Thoroughly enjoyed this meal. Ingredients readily available in the pantry and easy and quick to make. Cannot wait to make again. This time, I will go easy on the lemon juice in the sauce. Mine was too watery. Next time I will ensure that it is more of a paste. But it still was good!