Garlic Butter Salmon
Oct 29, 2018, Updated Mar 02, 2024
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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.
For more delicious salmon options, try my wonderful salmon en papillote recipe or this easy baked sockeye salmon.
Whipping up an easy salmon recipe for dinner doesn’t get any better or simpler than this garlic butter baked salmon. It’s the best way to enjoy fresh salmon, requiring just a few ingredients and minimal prep time.
And don’t forget the veggies! These air fryer roasted broccoli, my easy roasted green beans, and this recipe for roasted asparagus are great companions and can also be cooked alongside the fish. Plus, the salmon stays juicy and tasty enough for the next day, making it perfect to add to my chopped salmon salad to take to work!
Reasons to Make My Garlic Butter Salmon Recipe
- Easy sheet pan dinner. Everything, from the fish to the vegetables, is cooked on one baking sheet, which means less mess and clean-up!
- 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 time.
- Ready in 30 minutes. From start to finish, this recipe takes about half-an-hour. Easy enough for a busy weeknight but just as elegant for a special occasion because we are taking tender salmon filets and slathering them with a garlicky butter sauce!
What You’ll Need
This easy salmon recipe is the secret to a quick, nutritious, and universally loved meal that can be prepared in minutes.
- Salmon Fillets: Ideal size is about 5 to 6 ounces each.
- Fresh Broccoli: Feel free to substitute with your favorite green veggies. I love adding green beans, too.
- Garlic: Use fresh minced garlic. If garlic powder is all you have, use 1/8 teaspoon per clove.
- Butter: Unsalted butter or substitute it with olive oil.
- Brown Sugar: A spoonful adds warmth and sweetness. Honey can be used as a substitute.
- Dried Herbs: Oregano, thyme, and rosemary are used for flavor. Any dried herbs you have available will work.
- Salt and Black Pepper: To taste.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice to brighten the dish. A dash of vinegar can work as a substitute for acidity, though the flavor won’t be the same.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: For garnish. Other fresh herbs, such as dill or chives, could also complement the salmon.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Roasting Root Vegetables: If using root vegetables like potatoes or carrots, give them a head start by roasting for 10 minutes before adding the salmon.
- Veggie Variations: Feel free to swap out broccoli for other crisp green veggies like green beans, snap peas, or asparagus, depending on what you have on hand. They cook in the same amount of time as the salmon, making your meal prep seamless.
- Customize Your Dish: You can swap olive oil for butter, honey for brown sugar, add mustard to make honey mustard salmon, or add any dried herbs you prefer that can be used to make this dish uniquely yours. Slather on some basil pesto, and enjoy a delicious baked pesto salmon.
- Adjusting for Size and Thickness: Salmon fillets can vary in size and thickness, which might affect cooking time. The salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 145˚F.
- Garlic Butter Sauce: For an extra flavor kick, make more of the garlic butter sauce so you can drizzle some over the fish right before serving.
- Make It Spicy: For those who enjoy a bit of heat, sprinkle a little red pepper flakes over the salmon and veggies before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This is probably the best salmon recipe, and the one thing I really love about it is that everything, including the veggies, is cooked in the same pan. That means one less side dish to prepare! But you can also serve this meal with a side of quinoa stuffed tomatoes, Mediterranean rice, or a simple salad, like Jennifer Aniston’s bulgur salad. I am partial to smashed potatoes myself, but this mashed cauliflower would also pair well.
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Garlic Butter Baked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salmon And Vegetables
- 4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
- 4 to 6 cups broccoli florets
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
For the Garlic Butter Sauce
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and freshly ground black 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.
Video
Notes
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.
How to Bake Salmon
There are two steps to making this 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. Cooking salmon this way ensures a juicy and flavorful dinner that’s sure to be a hit with the entire family.
- Make the Garlic Butter. Place the butter in a small bowl, melt it in the microwave or on the stove in a small saucepan, and then whisk in the brown sugar, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
- Prep. Next, preheat the oven to 400°F, and while it heats, get out a big sheet pan. Lightly grease the pan, arrange the vegetables and salmon fillets skin side down. Rub minced garlic over the fish, 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 15 minutes, or until the fillets flake easily with a fork.
How Long Do You Bake Salmon?
Salmon is usually done baking in about 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the oven’s temperature. You can tell if it is cooked through when it flakes easily with a fork. But the most reliable and easy way to tell when meat, fish, or poultry is done is just to use a meat thermometer! The safe internal temperature for salmon is 145°F.
Proper Storage
Place completely cooled leftover salmon in an airtight container; close and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can gently reheat the salmon in the oven or in the microwave and even reuse it to make my favorite salmon patties!
Can I marinate the salmon in the garlic butter sauce overnight?
Hi! Marinating for more than 30 minutes is not recommended because the fish will start to break down and get mushy due to the acid content of the lemon juice. If you leave out the lemon juice, you can marinate it for up to 5 hours, just keep it in the fridge.
The other day, we had dinner at a restaurant with salmon dishes and it wasn’t tasty. But we really like salmon,
I tried it and it was excellent.
I re-read several times, because I could not believe that everything was so simple and was looking for a catch.
Thank you for your work, bookmarked your site.
Time to surprise your loved girls Dear guys!
If I substitute the brown sugar for honey how much honey should I use? Trying to make this tonight.
Hi!
Anything under a cup of brown sugar can be replaced by honey, equally. So use about a tablespoon of honey, or to taste.
How much sugar? Just a pinch?
Hi!
You’ll need a tablespoon of light brown sugar. At the top of the post click on “Jump To Recipe” and that will scroll you down to the recipe card; there you’ll find all the instructions, ingredients, amounts of ingredients, nutritional analysis, etc…
This recipe was AMAZING!!!!! My husband and I both loved it. I will definitely be adding this to my regular meal options.
That’s great! I am very glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Do you put salmon skin side down?
Excellent recipe….was delicious!
Can I use frozen salmon for this recipe? If so, should I thaw it first?
Yes and yes. Pat dry with paper towels
I love your recipe an
d i will do it again and again.
Thank you SO much, Lai! 🙂
Thank you for this fabulous recipe. Made it for dinner and devoured every bit.
We loved it, I especially enjoyed the roasted brocolli. I didn’t have lemons so I used limes. 🤤
Made this for me and my gf this weekend. So simple yet so perfect!
Very happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank YOU!
How do you convert this to an Air Fryer? On strike, won’t use oven. Electric bill way to high for this retired person. Thanks for your help.
Hi!
For the salmon filets, I just place two at a time in my air fryer basket, set the air fryer to 400˚F, and let them cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. The exact cook time varies slightly depending on how thick your filets are, but the key is to aim for an internal temperature of 145˚F. Hope this helps you enjoy your meals without the worry! ❤️