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This Easy Garlic Butter Baked Salmon is perfectly cooked and full of flavor!  This is the one of the BEST salmon recipes I have ever made!

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If you love salmon, you are going to LOVE this Easy Garlic Butter Baked Salmon recipe.  I love making salmon for a quick and healthy weeknight dinner.  Salmon is packed with nutrients and also cooks very quickly – not to mention, delicious.  I prefer to bake my salmon in the oven because it’s so much easier – instead of standing over a hot stove to sear the salmon, it roasts in the oven for 12-15 minutes.  And if you line the baking sheet with foil, it is the easiest cleanup ever.  Salmon is the champion of easy weeknight dinners.

Raw salmon on baking sheet with garlic butter spread on top, about to go in the oven

Garlic, lemon and butter are classic flavors with salmon for a reason.  For this recipe I made a compound butter by adding garlic, lemon zest, salt and herbs to softened butter. I used softened butter instead of melted butter to allow the flavors to bloom while the butter melted into the salmon in the oven, instead of just immediately running off as they would with melted butter.

Cooked salmon on a baking shet

How to Bake Salmon In the Oven

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
  2. Arrage salmon on the baking sheet and pat dry with a paper towel.
  3. Mix together butter, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and lemon zest.
  4. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the salmon..
  5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145 or the salmon flakes easily with a fork.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice over salmon just before serving.

Baked salmon filet

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN SALMON IS COOKED?

The best way to tell if salmon is cooked is to use a instant read thermometer, such as this one (affiliate). The USDA recommends cooking salmon to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.  Another easy way to check if the salmon is done is to see if it flakes easily with a fork.  It will also change color from translucent to opaque.

Fork digging into flaky salmon

What Side Dishes go with Baked Salmon?

I often serve my Garlic Butter Baked Salmon with rice and a simple salad.  It’s also great with my Lemon Parmesan Roasted Broccoli and some Crispy Roasted Potatoes!

Lemon wedge being squeezed over salmon

Looking for more salmon recipes?  Try my Sweet Chili Garlic Salmon or my Chili Lime Baked Salmon. For something different, try my Salmon Sushi Bowls or my Easy Salmon Patties!

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Garlic Butter Baked Salmon

4.86 from 7 votes
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 13 minutes
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients 

  • 1.5 lb salmon filet
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 4 Garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 lemon zested, then cut into wedges

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Arrange salmon on a baking sheet, pat salmon dry with a paper towel. set aside. (line baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup).
  • In a small bowl, mix together softened butter, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and lemon zest.
  • Spread the butter mixture over the salmon.
  • Bake salmon for 12-15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
  • Squeeze lemon wedge over salmon before serving.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 659mg | Potassium: 883mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 503IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Did you like this recipe?Please comment, rate and share! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @foxandbriar AND #foxandbriar so I can see what you made!

Salmon on plate with broccoli

Hello! I’m Meghan.

I am so glad that you are here! I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer here at my blog Fox and Briar. I am a passionate, self-taught home cook and believe that most things are better homemade and that good food doesn’t need to be complicated.

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11 Comments

  1. I added a few more seasonings and broiled it for just a minute or so after it was done and omg! 10/10! And I am a salmon lover and this was everything!

    1. Can you tell what other seasonings you have tried? I know we will love the salmon as is, following the recipe, but I like to have options so i can always change up my recipes for salmon because we eat it every week or more!

  2. 5 stars
    What a great, easy way to cook salmon! I love salmon but my family was not a big fan until I made it like this. Only change I made was to use salted butter, no extra salt added. Absolutely delicious!

  3. 5 stars
    If I could give this ten stars, I would! Absolutely delicious. I added some dill in too, but did the rest as written. And it was so easy! Pan cooking fresh salmon intimidated me, so I’m really glad I stumbled on this recipe. I put some veggies in to roast at the same time, and also made some sauteed greens to go with it. A+++!!

  4. 5 stars
    Made it for dinner tonight and really liked it. Added a little more salt at the end but that’s just personal preference. The cooking method was spot on!

  5. 5 stars
    My husband and I both thought we didn’t like salmon but I wanted to give it one more shot because it’s so healthy. Turns out we’d just never had the right recipe! This was absolutely delicious and amazingly fast to put together. It’s going in the rotation for sure. Thank you!