Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

Name: Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 (6 to 8 ounce) salmon filets; 2 tablespoons olive oil; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper ((to taste)); ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter; 2 teaspoons finely minced shallots; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper ((to taste)); 1 teaspoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley ((optional)); Pinch red pepper flakes ((optional)); Grated lemon zest; Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

By Katie Workman

December 11, 2022, Updated May 22, 2023

Flaky, moist salmon is drizzled with a simple sauce for an easy but elegant dinner. A 20-minute recipe!

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A perfect piece of well-cooked salmon — whether baked, grilled, broiled, or pan-seared — is my idea of a perfect dinner. And nothing could be easier than baked salmon. Top it with browned lemon butter sauce, and it becomes something I would be delighted to order in a restaurant…but it’s stupidly easy to make at home!

Feel free to halve this recipe, or double it, or do whatever you need to do! This recipe multiplies and divides easily. It truly is one of those dinners that are quick and easy enough to pull together any night of the week. And yet, it’s sophisticated enough that you would be pleased to serve it up to guests (even in-laws!).

And it goes with everything. See below for some side dish suggestions, but because the sauce is so fresh and simple, it cozies up to whatever you feel like serving with it. A very versatile main course, ready in less than 20 minutes.

Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce: Flaky, moist salmon is drizzled with a simple sauce for an easy but elegant dinner. A 20 minute recipe!
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How to Make Baked Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil or spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Brush the salmon filets with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and place them in the pan, skin side down, if there is skin on the fish. 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.
While the salmon is baking, make the sauce. Melt the butter with the shallot in a small saucepot over medium heat and allow to come to a gentle simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the shallot becomes tender and turns light golden brown and the color of the melted butter deepens to a nice golden brown. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, and red pepper flakes if using.
Drizzle the warm butter sauce over the salmon. Sprinkle over some lemon zest and parsley (if desired), and give the salmon a final sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper.