Baked Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon (2024)

Put a quick dinner on the table with this Baked Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon recipe. It’s easy to make and tastes delicious – perfect for busy weeknights!

I have to say, I feel incredibly lucky that both my kids enjoy fish as much as they do. And not just asCrispy Oven Fried Fish, aka homemade fish fingers! They love fish in pretty much any shape or form, so we have it for dinner at least a few times every month.

This is one of my favorite ways to make salmon (or most fish – it’s very similar to myGarlic Butter Lemon Baked Cod!). Easy, quick and so helpful to have in your backpocket on those super busy weeknights!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

Salmon

You can either usepre-cut fillets or an entire side of salmonfor this recipe.

The side of salmon tends to take an extra 5-10 minutes compared to the fillets. The exact baking time will always depend on the thickness of your salmon though.

Seasoning

I enjoy the flavor of Italian herbs in this recipe, but feel free to switch it up to your taste. Parsley or dill are very delicious, too!

Lemon juice

I used freshly squeezed lemon juice, but juice from a bottle works just as well.

Butter

The butter forms rich and delicious juices to serve over the salmon. If you need the recipe to be dairy free, feel free to use a dairy free butter, or simply drizzle more olive oil over the fish.

How to make baked salmon

1. Start by lining a pan with aluminum foil, then brush it with olive oil.

Place the salmon on top of the oiled foil. It’s fine to have the fish close together, just don’t let it overlap!

2. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic and seasoning in a small bowl. It will form a paste-like topping.

Spread it evenly over the salmon pieces, then dot with cubed butter.

3. Finally, tent the foil over the salmon and crimp it to seal.

Now just bake it, and dinner will be ready!

Recipe tips

Bake from frozen

It works, even though it’s not my preferred thing to do because it tends to overcook the outside until the middle is done.

But do you ever forget to take meat or fish out of the freezer for dinner? Yep, me too.

For those “oops moments” it can be an absolute lifesaver to be able to bake salmon from frozen.Just follow the recipe. The salmonwill take approximately twice as long to bake from frozenvs thawed or fresh.

Baking time

I hate to be so vague, but the exact cooking temperature willgreatly depend on the exact size and thickness of your salmon fillet.

It’s generally safe to say it takesaround 15 minutesto cook salmon fillets in the oven at 400°F though.

An entire salmon side may take a little longer and small fillets may be done closer to the 10 minute mark.You can tell the fish is donewhen it flakes easily with a fork. To be safe, check the internal temperature at the thickness part with an instant read thermometer.

Internal temperature for salmon

The USDA recommendscooking salmon to an internal temperature of at least 145°Fto be safe for consumption. You can see the full chart here.

I recommend gettingan instant read thermometer, I love using mine and never have to worry about under- or overcooking dinner again. You can get one here on Amazon(FYI, this is an affiliate link and I earn. commission for purchases made after clicking through).

Serving ideas

We love this salmon with a veggie and a starch on the side. Roasted baby potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice are starchy faves to go with this recipe.

For a veggie, we often do a spinach salad, roasted asparagus (when it’s in season), sautéed green beans or a simple side of roasted broccoli.

When I’m feeling incredibly lazy, I just throw some sliced zucchini, peppers and onions on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and herbs and put the dish with the salmon right next to it so everything cooks in the oven at the same time ?

More easy salmon recipes

PSIf you try this recipe, please leavea review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.

Printable recipe

More fish recipes

Recipe first published on 04/17/2019. Updated with new photos, video and tips on 01/05/2021. The recipe has stayed the same.