Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Salmon Recipe
Baked salmon recipe with lemon garlic butter and fresh dill, roasted on one sheet pan at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Flaky, tender, and done in 25 minutes.
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Baked salmon is what I make on nights when there is nothing left in the tank, and this baked salmon recipe takes 25 minutes from cold oven to dinner. Four fillets go on one sheet pan, get spooned with melted butter loaded with garlic, lemon zest, and dill, and roast at 400°F until the centers turn opaque and the flesh flakes into big soft pieces. No sauce to make separately, no pan to babysit.
The single biggest thing that separates good salmon from sad salmon is knowing when to stop. Fish keeps cooking after it leaves the oven, and the window between perfectly tender and dry and chalky is about two minutes wide. Start checking at 12 minutes with an instant-read thermometer, pull it at 145°F, and let it sit for three. A thin tail-end fillet can be ready at 10 minutes while a thick center cut takes 15, so the clock is a suggestion and the thermometer is the answer.
Patting the fillets bone dry before the oil goes on matters more than it sounds like it should. A wet surface steams instead of roasting, and the butter slides off into the pan instead of staying put. Thirty seconds with a paper towel is the whole trick.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Salmon Recipe
- Done in 25 minutes. Ten minutes of prep, 15 in the oven, and dinner is on the table.
- One sheet pan. Line it with parchment and there’s nothing to scrub afterward.
- A buttery lemon garlic finish. Melted butter with garlic, lemon zest, and dill pools over each fillet and doubles as the sauce.
- Genuinely tender. Pulling the fish at 145°F instead of guessing is what keeps it flaky rather than dry.
Baked Salmon Ingredients
Skin-on fillets are worth asking for even if you don’t plan to eat the skin. The skin acts as a buffer between the fish and the hot pan, so the bottom stays moist instead of overcooking, and it peels right off after roasting if you’d rather leave it behind.
- 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets, skin on
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Recipe Variations
- Swap the dill for 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme and 1 teaspoon of chopped rosemary for a more savory, herby version.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the butter for a gentle heat that plays against the lemon.
- Roast a pound of trimmed asparagus alongside the fillets on the same pan, tossed with a little of the lemon butter. Add it at the same time and it’ll be done when the fish is.
How to Make Baked Salmon
- Heat the oven and line the pan: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or foil, which saves you the scrubbing later.
- Dry and season the fillets: Pat the salmon completely dry with paper towels on both sides. Rub each fillet with the olive oil, then season all over with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Arrange them skin side down on the pan with about an inch between fillets so they roast instead of steam.
- Mix the lemon garlic butter: In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped dill.
- Spoon it over the fish: Spoon the butter mixture evenly over the fillets, letting it pool on top and run down the sides. Tuck the lemon rounds around and between the fillets.
- Bake and check early: Bake for 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. The salmon is done at 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part, or when the center has turned opaque and the flesh flakes apart when you press it with a fork. Start checking at 12 minutes.
- Rest and serve: Let the fillets rest on the pan for 3 minutes, then spoon the buttery pan juices back over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with the roasted lemon rounds for squeezing.
Recipe FAQs
What Temperature Should Salmon Be Cooked To?
The USDA says 145°F, and at that temperature the center is opaque and flakes cleanly with a fork. Plenty of restaurants pull salmon closer to 125°F for a softer, more translucent center, so if that’s how you like it, take it out earlier and know you’re going below the official guideline.
Should I Bake Salmon Covered or Uncovered?
Uncovered, at 400°F. Covering it with foil traps steam, and steamed salmon comes out pale and soft instead of lightly roasted with the butter concentrating on top.
Can I Use Frozen Salmon?
Yes, but thaw it first. Move it to the fridge overnight, or seal it in a bag and submerge it in cold water for about 30 minutes. Then pat it very dry, since thawed fish gives off a lot of water and wet fillets never brown.
What’s the White Stuff That Comes out of My Salmon?
That’s albumin, a protein that pushes to the surface as the fish cooks. It’s harmless, and a lot of it usually means the salmon cooked hot or long. Pulling it right at 145°F keeps it to a minimum.
How Do I Know When Salmon Is Done without a Thermometer?
Press the thickest part with a fork and twist gently. Done salmon separates into clean flakes and the center looks opaque rather than glossy and deep orange. If it resists and still looks translucent inside, give it 2 more minutes.
Cooking Tips
- Zest the lemon before you juice it. Zesting a squeezed lemon half is a miserable job and you’ll get half as much zest.
- Space the fillets out on the pan. Fish crowded together traps steam between the pieces, and steam is what keeps the surface from browning at all.
- Buy fillets that are close to the same thickness. Mixing a thin tail piece with a thick center cut on one pan guarantees one of them comes out wrong.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Refrigerate cooked fillets in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Spoon any leftover butter over them so they don’t dry out.
To freeze: Cooked salmon can be frozen for up to 2 months, though it does lose some of its tenderness and comes back firmer and drier. Freezing raw fillets and baking them fresh gives a much better result.
To reheat: Warm gently, covered, at 275°F for about 10 minutes, or eat it cold. The microwave overcooks salmon fast and gives it a strong fishy smell, so a low oven is worth the extra few minutes.
How to Serve Baked Salmon
Baked salmon goes with almost anything green: roasted asparagus, garlicky sauteed spinach, or a lemony arugula salad all work with the butter sauce. Roasted broccoli with a squeeze of lemon is the version my family asks for most. If you’d rather skip the oven entirely on a hot night, our Air Fryer Salmon gets you to the same place in less time.
Loved This Recipe?
This baked salmon recipe is the one I’d hand to anyone who thinks they can’t cook fish, because a thermometer and 15 minutes are honestly the whole skill.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets skin on
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 1 lemon sliced into rounds
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oven and line the pan: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or foil, which saves you the scrubbing later.
- Dry and season the fillets: Pat the salmon completely dry with paper towels on both sides. Rub each fillet with the olive oil, then season all over with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Arrange them skin side down on the pan with about an inch between fillets so they roast instead of steam.
- Mix the lemon garlic butter: In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped dill.
- Spoon it over the fish: Spoon the butter mixture evenly over the fillets, letting it pool on top and run down the sides. Tuck the lemon rounds around and between the fillets.
- Bake and check early: Bake for 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. The salmon is done at 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part, or when the center has turned opaque and the flesh flakes apart when you press it with a fork. Start checking at 12 minutes.
- Rest and serve: Let the fillets rest on the pan for 3 minutes, then spoon the buttery pan juices back over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with the roasted lemon rounds for squeezing.
