Salmon is one of the tastiest (not to mention one of the most healthy) kinds of fish that one can enjoy at home, all thanks to knowing how to bake it perfectly!
Baking amazing salmon at home starts with buying the fish.
I never really knew what I was looking for until I was standing in front of the fish counter at my local grocery store and the friendly fishmonger (isn’t that a funny name? I had to look it up and it’s a noun that literally means ‘a person or store that sells fish for food’) came around the counter and explained what I was looking for. He gave me the following tips:
- The best part of the salmon is the center cut, so always ask for a center cut filet
- There are different kinds of salmon, the two most popular are King Salmon (has more of a buttery flavor) and Sockeye Salmon (is rich its salmon color and has very rich flavor, it is most commonly available at grocery stores)
- Purchase about 4-6 oz of salmon per person
- Baking salmon is one of the easiest, quickest, and best ways to cook salmon
Since then, I have been buying, baking and perfecting my recipe for center cut salmon.
It is so good, that I hesitate getting salmon at restaurants because I know how good it can be at home (and there’s nothing worse than a poorly cooked salmon filet you pay an arm and a leg for!)
Preparing the salmon takes a total of 5 minutes, you line a baking sheet (I love this set of baking sheets) with aluminum foil, lay the salmon filet on the baking sheet, sprinkle seasoning on (this is my favorite seasoning), lay lemon slices on top and then drizzle with olive oil, bake, and voila, perfect!
The result? Perfectly Baked Salmon!!
The salmon is super moist and flakey with hints of citrus and the rich olive oil and season complimenting every bite! I like to serve it over some rice and a side of veggies, either steamed or roasted.
You know what is also amazing about this recipe? It has less than 5 ingredients, perfect for Five Ingredient Fridays! If you enjoy simple recipes like this one, my cookbook Fast and Easy Five Ingredient Recipes: A Cookbook for Busy People is something you would love!
For this recipe I use Mediterranean spiced sea salt (this is the one I use) but you can certainly make your own.
I have a recipe for Mediterranean spice blend in my cookbook because I love it so much, it’s basically a mix of oregano, thyme, garlic salt and lemon pepper. Side note, I also have a recipe for how to make your own taco seasoning, and it’s gotten so many rave reviews, people said they never buy store bought seasoning after making it!
If you like this salmon recipe, you might also like:
5 ingredient ginger teriyaki salmon and green beans
Roasted kale and salmon detox salad
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place salmon (skin side down if skin is on) on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on the filet, sprinkle with Mediterranean Sea Salt, place lemon slices on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes, then cut into fillets and enjoy!Perfectly Baked Salmon
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 264Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 69mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 25g
Note: This recipe has been made by a reader and is featured on my Reader Recreation page. If you ever make a SweetPhi blog recipe or tutorial that you’d like to share, just include the hashtag #Sweetphiblog on social media or send me an email to sweetphiblog@gmail.com, I love seeing your recreations!
Village Bakery says
Great recipe. Thanks so much for sharing – Joe
Sweetphi says
You’re so welcome
Jenne Delkus says
Delish – cookingtime and temp was spot on! I topped mine with orange pepper and French onion dip – baked it for 15 minutes – then added feta cheese, fresh diced tomatoes and chopped kalamata olives to the top and broiled it on 500 for 3 minutes
Sweetphi says
So happy to hear how much you liked it!Love all the variations you made!
Mikki says
Is it better to bake or cook over stove salmon.,1st time cooking salmon!?
Sweetphi says
I would say baking would be best for the 1st time cooking salmon 🙂
James says
Do you need to cover the meat to cook and make it soft
Sweetphi says
No, you don’t need to cover it, but if you’d like to do so, you definitely can (it just more ‘steamed’ that way).
Terry says
I tried this recipe and the salmon came out GREAT. I love that it is so simple to make. My husband loves it. Thank you.
Sweetphi says
Hi Terry, thank you so much for commenting (so sorry I’m only responding now, I only saw this now!), so glad you and your husband love this!
Stephanie Sands says
Can we do lime instead of lemon?
Sweetphi says
Yes, it would still be delicious!
Stephanie Sands says
Thank you ?❤️
kim says
Do you have to rinse the salmon and pat it dry before seasoning and cooking it? I’d like to try this recipe tonight. Thank you.
Sweetphi says
You certainly can if your salmon looks like it needs it (the ones I get from the store never look like they need it, but the prepackaged ones from the freezer section sometimes need it). Thank you for commenting. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Alisha says
I’ve only had Salmon once or twice before at restaurants, but it was a little to dry for me, looking for a moist recipe to make myself at home, I’m going to try your recipe, it seems very easy to make, Is there any good sides you could recommend that would go great with this Salmon?
Sweetphi says
Hi Alisha, I like serving this salmon with vegetables and rice. This recipe for balsamic grilled vegetables (you can bake them also) https://www.sweetphi.com/balsamic-grilled-vegetables-side-dish-recipe/ is my favorite way to make vegetables 🙂
Carmen A Green says
Thank you. Family and i loved it.
Sweetphi says
So happy to hear that Carmen, thanks for sharing?
Wanda says
I roasted zucchini, yellow and white squash, red,orange,yellow and green peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, and red onions. With this baked salmon, it was deeeelicious!
Sweetphi says
YAY, I’m so happy to hear you liked the salmon, those sides sound delicious 🙂
Albina says
Me and my boyfriend had an amazing salmon for diner. Thank you for the recipe
Sweetphi says
You’re so welcome, so glad you liked it, it’s one of my absolute favorite recipes 🙂
Lita Watson says
After finishing that dish, can i preserve it by putting it in a container then storing it in refrigerator? How long can it be preserved by that way?
Sweetphi says
Hi Lita, yes, you can definitely store leftovers in the refrigerator. I would say leftovers would last for up to a week in an airtight container 🙂
Isaiah Duvall says
I dont have lemon can i use juice instead?
Sweetphi says
I have never tried it with juice, it might be a little too sweet if you’re thinking of using something like lemonade, but you could certainly give it a try 🙂
Isaiah Duvall says
I used lemon juice it was great thank you
Sweetphi says
So happy to hear that 🙂
Mary allen says
Best and easiest salmon recipe I have ever tried! Thank you. This is coming from someone that doesn’t even like salmon! Sooo good.
Sweetphi says
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for your kind words, so happy to hear that you liked this recipe 🙂
Kate says
Oh, I love me some salmon. Congrats on your e-cookbook launch! I love the concept! Just saw your name on the Chopped Con list and I am excited to meet you, Phi!
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for your lovely comment Kate, salmon is the best, isn’t it? And thank you for the congrats on the ecookbook 🙂 I’m super excited to see you speak, I can’t believe it’s less than a week away!!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
How did I miss that you did an e-bookbook?! Go girl!
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for the compliment girl, totally appreciate it 🙂
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Mmmm… I love salmon and nothing better than baking it. So good with simple seasonings. Congrats on the ebook!
Sweetphi says
Isn’t salmon baked the best? Thank you so much on the congrats for the ebook 🙂
Erica says
Very cool on the e cookbook, Phi!
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much Erica, definitely took a lot of time to put together, so I appreciate the comment 🙂
Mira L says
This is just a perfect “fish Friday” simple and delicious salmon recipe! So easy! I agree on your recommendations on cooking and buying salmon! Just subscribed and am excited to check your e-cook book out 🙂
Sweetphi says
Why didn’t I think of that, I LOVE the sound of ‘fish Friday’ 🙂 Thank you so much for your lovely comment and for signing up to get my ecookbook, hope you enjoy it!
liztiptopshape says
My grandma always talks about how simple and quick it is to make salmon (and complains about restaurants that say it takes a long time!). This looks delicious!!
Sweetphi says
Haha, your grandma sounds like one smart lady 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Patricia says
Don’t have Olive oil
What should I use.
Sweetphi says
I would use another cooking oil – like vegetable oil or grapeseed oil.