Baked Salmon

4.99 from 352 votes

An easy Baked Salmon recipe that is just as good as the restaurant, seasoned with a lemon garlic butter on top.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Rest time20

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 360kcal

Cost: 15

Rest salmon. Set salmon on counter and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes to come to room temperature. Pat with a paper towels. (You can cut one large salmon filet into smaller 3-4 oz portions, or leave it whole).
Line a sheet pan or any baking tray with a piece of aluminum foil. Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place fillet on top, skin side down.
Garlic butter: Melt butter and stir in garlic and lemon juice. Spoon mixture over the flesh of the salmon fillet. You can enclose the aluminum foil around the salmon, if you want (some people prefer it cooked inside a pocket of foil, to make sure it's moist) but you don't have to.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes depending on thickness of salmon and desired doneness. USDA recommends 145 degrees F (Remove it a few degrees before desired temperature, as it will continue to cook outside the oven). I always cook my salmon to 120-130 degrees F, for medium rare to medium.
The easiest way to check if salmon is done is to use a fork to gently pull back on a section in the thickest part of the filet. The salmon should flake away easily.

Alternate seasoning ideas:

Cajun: brush salmon filets with olive oil and sprinkle generously with cajun seasoning. Bake as instructed.
Dill: Season salmon with the garlic butter in the recipe, and bake as directed. Sprinkle some fresh chopped dill on top when it comes out of the oven (or sprinkle generously with dried dill before baking).

Air Fryer Salmon: Cook salmon in preheated air fryer at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

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