This Garlic Butter Baked Salmon is tender, flaky, and brushed with a drool-worthy garlic butter sauce! Baked on a sheet pan with your favorite veggies, it’s quick, easy, and perfect for busy weeknights.
Looking for more ways to cook salmon? Try these simple salmon patties.
The Best Baked Salmon Recipe Ever!
Garlic butter baked salmon is, hands down, one of the easiest and tastiest seafood dinners you can make. It requires just a handful of ingredients and comes together in a snap. And spoiler alert, those ingredients are a collection of everything you love, so you know this will be a winner.
Veggies are a must, along with the fish and the killer garlic butter sauce! Broccoli, green beans, sugar snap peas, and asparagus work best because they cook in the same time as the fish. If you’d like to add root vegetables like potatoes or carrots, those should be roasted for 10 minutes before you add the fish and other ingredients to the pan.
All in all, if you want a quick and simple recipe that delivers a healthy, crowd-pleasing meal in about half an hour, this one’s for you!
If you love salmon, don’t miss my other recipes like sockeye salmon with asparagus, air fryer mustard salmon, and salmon patties.
Why You’ll Love This Garlic Butter Salmon
Here are a few reasons that dish is one of my all-time favorite baked salmon recipes.
- Easy sheet pan dinner. Everything is cooked right on one baking sheet, which means less mess and clean up for me!
- Tender, flaky salmon every time. If you’ve ever wondered how to cook salmon in the oven, this garlic butter salmon is the answer. You’ll have perfectly flaky salmon each and every time.
- Ready in 30 minutes. From start to finish, this garlic butter salmon recipe takes just 30 minutes. Easy enough for a busy weeknight but elegant enough for a special occasion!
Is Salmon Good for Your Health?
High-quality seafood is excellent for your health, and salmon has got to be one of the most popular options. This tasty, buttery fish is a good source of healthy protein, vitamin B12, Omega-3s, and more helpful nutrients.
So yes, adding salmon or other seafood to your weekly menu is a good idea for most people.
(Of course, if you’re pregnant or have other conditions that make seafood a concern, check with your doctor before adjusting your diet!)
What You’ll Need
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients for this quick, sheet pan dinner. There are only a few, and all of them are delicious. Here we go:
- Salmon Fillets: It’s helpful to have all of the salmon fillets roughly the same size and weight (about six ounces each is perfect).
- Broccoli: Fresh broccoli is my veggie of choice here, but you can use whatever you like.
- Garlic: Mince up a little fresh garlic to rub over the salmon.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter, since I’m already salting the dish.
- Brown Sugar: Just a spoonful, for a little bit of warmth and sweetness.
- Dried Herbs: Oregano, thyme, and rosemary add lots of fragrant goodness.
- Salt and Pepper
- Lemon: A little fresh lemon squeezed over the dish gives it a lift.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: For garnish.
Ingredient Substitutions
If you’re missing an ingredient (or two or three!), don’t worry! This recipe is versatile and adaptable. No butter? Use olive oil. Can’t stand broccoli? Skip it, and use your favorite veggies! Can’t find brown sugar in your pantry? Grab some honey! No need to fret – make it your own.
Just know that this baked salmon recipe is a restaurant-worthy dish that you can make in the comfort of your own kitchen!
Note that if you decide to add root vegetables, like potatoes, you’ll want to roast them for 10 minutes before adding the salmon. Other crisp green veggies like green beans, snap peas, and asparagus will have the same bake time as the salmon.
How to Bake Salmon
There are two steps to making this garlic butter baked salmon recipe, but both of them are super easy! First you will make the garlic butter sauce, then you’ll add it to the salmon and bake everything together. Here’s the skinny:
- Make the Garlic Butter. This part is very fast. Just melt the butter (in the microwave or on the stove), and then whisk in the brown sugar, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
- Preheat the Oven and Arrange the Ingredients. Next, preheat the oven to 400°F, and while it heats, get out a big sheet pan. Lightly grease the pan, and arrange the salmon and vegetables across it. Rub minced garlic over the salmon fillets, and pour the butter mixture over everything. Squeeze lemon juice over as well, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake! Slide that sheet pan into the oven, and let it roast for about fifteen minutes, or until the fillets flake easily with a fork.
How Long Do You Bake Salmon?
Salmon is usually done baking in about 15 minutes. You can tell it is cooked through when it flakes easily with a fork. Be sure to preheat your oven so that the salmon goes into an oven that is at the right temperature for baking.
And of course, the most reliable and easy way to tell when meat is done is just to use a meat thermometer! The safe internal temperature for salmon is 145°F.
Serving Suggestions
One thing I love about this garlic butter baked salmon recipe is that the vegetables bake right with the salmon. That means one less side dish to prepare!
Quinoa, rice, or potatoes would all make a great side to turn it into a complete meal. I am partial to smashed potatoes myself. Mashed cauliflower would also make a healthy mashed potato alternative.
How to Store Baked Salmon
- Fridge. Properly stored, cooked salmon will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Place completely cooled salmon in an airtight container; close and store in the fridge.
- Freezer. You can also freeze cooked salmon. Place completely cooled salmon in covered airtight containers or heavy duty freezer bags. Keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- Reheat. You can gently reheat the salmon in the oven or in the microwave. Take care to not overheat it, as that can cause the salmon to dry out.
ENJOY!
Garlic Butter Baked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
- 4 to 6 cups broccoli florets
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon, halved, divided
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Grease a sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Arrange broccoli florets and salmon fillets on the sheet pan. Rub minced garlic over each fillet. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
- Pour the butter mixture over the salmon and veggies.
- Take half of a lemon and squeeze lemon juice over everything; then, season with salt and pepper.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the internal temperature is 145˚F degrees.
- Remove from oven and garnish with parsley. Serve with lemon slices.
Notes
- Properly stored, cooked salmon will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Place completely cooled salmon in an airtight container; close and store in the fridge.
- You can also freeze cooked salmon. Place completely cooled salmon in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. Keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
