Baked Salmon Recipe

This easy oven baked salmon recipe is flaky, moist, and flavorful! Make it in just 15 minutes with olive oil, lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs.

Oh, baked salmon. It’s the healthy dinner that can — and does — do it all. It’s my busier-than-ever-weeknight dinner. It’s my I-have-guests-over dinner. It’s my I-want-something-light dinner. It’s my I-don’t-feel-like-cooking dinner. Sometimes it’s even my holiday dinner. This oven baked salmon recipe is the every possible occasion staple that I make over and over. Make it with me!

Salmon Tips:

• Try to get skin-on salmon if you can — it gives the fish the best flavor, even if you don’t eat the skin. But skinless is just fine if that’s what you’ve got.
• You can make baked salmon recipes with pretty much any species of salmon. Sockeye or farm-raised Atlantic salmon is the most affordable. I love using wild-caught pink salmon, Coho salmon, or for a treat, king salmon is the very best. You can even use steelhead trout.
• Though you can bake a whole salmon fillet, individual 6-ounce fillets are my favorite way to cook salmon in the oven, because they cook more evenly — and a little faster, too.

Other Ingredients:

• Olive Oil – Oil ensures that the fish stays moist and flavorful. You can also use avocado oil, or even unsalted melted butter.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor, or bottled for convenience. I try to use fresh lemons for this, as I place extra slices on top of the fish for a flavor boost and presentation.
• Garlic – You can mince or crush fresh garlic cloves, or use the jarred kind (I always have some in my fridge). If you don’t have either, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, though I think it’s a downgrade.
• Fresh Herbs – I used fresh dill and fresh parsley in my baked salmon recipe, but thyme would also go nicely. I don’t recommend dried herbs, but if that’s all you have, use 1/3 the amount of fresh.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper

How To Bake Salmon In The Oven

1. Mix the oil, lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs. Just stir or whisk them together in a small bowl.
2. Brush it on the salmon. Place the salmon in a baking dish (I use this one) or on a baking sheet, with space between the fillets. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel, then brush with olive oil mixture on both sides. I season with salt and pepper at this point (rather than mixing them into the oil mixture), because these are so important to be evenly distributed. If you like, place thin lemon slices on top of each fillet.
3. Bake salmon. Place the salmon in the oven and bake until it flakes easily with a fork. (For best results, see my tips and temp chart below!) I like to sprinkle more fresh herbs on top for serving, and drizzle with the sauce from the bottom of the baking dish. It makes the fish even more moist!