How to Bake Salmon
on Jan 01, 2023, Updated Aug 02, 2023
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A simple marinade of olive oil, garlic, herbs and lemon quickly and easily turn salmon fillets into a delicious dinner.
An easy, baked (5-ingredient!) salmon dinner is a much-loved part of our regular dinner roster. This recipe just requires a 15-minute marinating time, enough to season the salmon and add some moisture to ensure it doesn’t dry out. Salmon filets take just about 10 to 12 minutes to bake. Plus, once the dish is in the oven, you have some hands-off time to make a salad and set the table.
Simply baked salmon also gives you so much flexibility on what to choose for a side dish. You can go in any number of directions, in the spring, maybe some grilled asparagus, in the summer Cherry Tomato Antipasti Salad, in the fall Classic Greek Salad or Broccoli Salad Recipe, in the winter Cheesy au Gratin Potatoes.
Table of Contents
Baked Salmon: A simple marinade of olive oil, garlic, herbs and lemon quickly and easily turns salmon fillets into a delicious dinner.
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Ingredients
- Salmon fillets – Look below for tips about how long to cook your salmon so that it’s perfectly suited to your taste. (I personally love it medium to medium-rare.)
- Olive oil – The olive oil-based marinade for this fish ensures that it doesn’t dry out when it is baking.
- Garlic – Mince the garlic finely to add to the marinade.
- Herbs – I suggest oregano or thyme for this recipe, but you can use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. And while fresh herbs really add wonderful flavor to the fish, you can also use dried if that’s what’s available to you.
- Lemon – Juice and wedges for serving.
Tips
- If you’re cooking salmon for more people, get a bigger pan! You can cook more than 2 pieces of fish at a time as long as you increase the size of the pan. Make sure you leave at least an inch between the pieces; crowding the salmon will slow down the cooking process significantly.
- If you are using a convection oven, you may need to reduce the cooking time by about 30 percent.
- Remember that the salmon will continue to cook a bit after you remove it from the oven, so take it out a little bit before it is done to your liking.
- Try another marinade, such as Ginger, Mint, and Lime Marinade or Spicy Sesame Marinade.
How to Make Baked Salmon
- Prep your materials: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil or spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Make the marinade: In a shallow bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, oregano or thyme, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper.
- Marinate the salmon: Roll the salmon filets in the olive oil mixture and place them in the pan, skin side down, if there is skin on the fish.
- Let it sit: Pour the remaining marinade over the fish in the pan. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, if possible.
- Bake: Bake the salmon for 10 to 13 minutes, until cooked through (or to your liking). If you prefer a lightly-browned top, you can broil the fish for an additional minute or two.
- Serve: Serve the fish with lemon wedges, garnished with herbs if desired.
How Long to Bake Salmon
Cooking time depends as much on the thickness of the fish as the size of the piece. Larger pieces will take more time, as will thicker fillets. And so clearly, small or thinner fish filets will cook faster. Some people prefer the salmon on the medium-rare side, with a dark pink center. Others prefer it to be cooked all the way through, so the fish turns opaque and flaky. Start checking at the earlier side of the cooking range if you like your fish on the undercooked side and on the further side if you like your fish cooked completely.
Use this handy chart to figure out how long to bake your salmon. This chart is designed to explain how long you should cook 6 to 8-ounce salmon filets that are 1-inch thick, which is a pretty standard cut.
| Temperature | Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| 350 degrees | 14 to 16 minutes |
| 375 degrees | 12 to 16 minutes |
| 400 degrees | 10 to 13 minutes |
| 425 degrees | 9 to 11 minutes |
| 450 degrees | 8 to 10 minutes |
FAQs
Fully cooked salmon is opaque throughout and flakes easily with a fork. Medium-rare, on the other hand, is flaky on the outside with a bit of dark pink in the middle.
The FDA recommends a safe internal temperature of 145 degrees for fish and shellfish, but if you are using fresh, high-quality fish, you can cook to it medium rare. 135 degrees is the internal temperature for medium-rare. If you want fully cooked, take the salmon from the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees, and as it rests, the temperature will climb to 145 degrees.
Different recipes may call for different methods, but I prefer baking salmon uncovered. I like the fact that uncovered allows the salmon to get a bit firmer on the outside, and I can decide if I want the middle to be cooked through or a bit on the softer, rarer side. At higher temperatures, the salmon can even brown a bit on top.
You can bake salmon at a variety of temperatures, ranging from as low as 300 to as high as 450 degrees. I like a slightly higher temperature, so I usually bake my salmon at around 400 degrees so the top starts to brown a bit. However, if the oven temperature is set to a different setting because of another recipe, you can adjust the cooking time to match the higher or lower temperature. See the chart above!
What to Serve With Baked Salmon
More Oven-Baked Salmon Recipes
- Honey Ginger Salmon
- Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli Rabe
- Salmon, Potato, and Broccoli Sheet Pan Supper
- Dedie’s Herbed Salmon
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How to Bake Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 (6 to 8 ounce) salmon filets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- Lemon wedges (to serve)
- Fresh herb sprigs (for garnish; optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Oil or spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. In a shallow bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, oregano or thyme, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper. Roll the salmon filets in the olive oil mixture and place them in the pan, skin side down, if there is skin on the fish. Pour the remaining marinade over the fish in the pan. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, if possible.
- Bake the salmon for 10 to 13 minutes, until cooked through or to your liking. If you prefer a lightly browned top, you can broil the fish for an additional minute or two.
- Serve the fish with the lemon wedges, garnished with the herbs if desired.
Notes
- If you’re cooking salmon for more people, get a bigger pan! You can cook more than 2 pieces of fish at a time as long as you increase the size of the pan. Make sure you leave at least an inch between the pieces; crowing the salmon will slow down the cooking process significantly.
- If you are using a convection oven, you may need to reduce the cooking time by about 30 percent.
- Remember that the salmon will continue to cook a bit after you remove it from the oven, so take it out a little bit before it is done to your liking.
- Try another marinade, such as Ginger, Mint, and Lime Marinade or Spicy Sesame Marinade.
