It can be hard to come up with new meals for during the week. Work can run late, and how many evenings do you get the chance to make a simply delicious meal and enjoy it? I have a solution for you: baked salmon, This salmon recipe has four simple ingredients, and it will make you a hero for dinner.
Table of Contents
Oven Baked Salmon
It can be hard to come up with new meals during the week. Work can run late, meaning that you don’t get many evenings when you can make a simply delicious meal and enjoy it.
I have a solution for you: baked salmon. I love a dinner like this. I can pop it in the oven and get a few more things done while it’s cooking. This way, the food and I are ready to sit down and enjoy our time spent together.
I don’t know why I didn’t post this easy baked salmon recipe sooner. It is one of my go-to recipes for salmon that I have made for over ten years.
This salmon recipe will make you a hero for dinner – it’s so simple and so tasty.
Recipe Ingredients
It has a fish fillet and three simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand in your pantry. Here’s the list:
- Salmon
- Brown sugar
- Soy sauce
- Olive oil
If you want to get fancy, you can add a little lemon juice and some fleur de sel.
Costco Salmon is Perfect for this Recipe
I love to shop at Costco. This is a great baked salmon recipe for Costco salmon because they sell frozen salmon in individual packages, which are perfect for dinner.
I do buy fresh salmon at the store too, but I love having a few tasty meals handy in the freezer. If I am using the frozen fish from Costco, I will take the pieces out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator when I leave for work in the morning. This way, they will be defrosted and ready to be cooked when I get home.
How to Cook Baked Salmon
I am almost ashamed to tell you how to make this baked salmon dish. It’s so easy!
- You simply mix up equal parts of soy sauce, brown sugar, and olive oil and pour this over the salmon.
- Then you bake the salmon for about 15 minutes or so depending upon the size of your fish.
That’s all there is to it.
What to Serve with Baked Salmon
Here are some great side dishes to serve along with salmon:
Cooking during the week doesn’t have to be boring. You don’t have to cook only chicken because there are other tasty alternatives. I hope you enjoy one of my favorite baked salmon recipes.
How to Make Perfect Baked Salmon Every Time
- Allow your salmon to warm up to room temperature. Take it out of your refrigerator and let it rest on your kitchen counter for 15-30 minutes. This will help promote even cooking.
- Don’t rinse your salmon – water can break down the flesh. Instead, gently pat the salmon all over with a paper towel.
- Leave the skin on and bake the salmon with the skin side down. The skin will help protect the salmon from the heat of the pan and prevent it from drying out while cooking. When you take the salmon out of the pan, the skin will come off easily if you slide a spatula between the skin and the fillet.
- Bake salmon at 350°F. The internal temperature of the salmon should reach 140°F. This translates to about 4-6 minutes for every 1/2-inch of thickness. If you don’t use a thermometer, you can test for doneness by inserting a knife or fork into a thick part of the salmon and twisting it a bit; the fish should be opaque (i.e., not transparent) and flake easily.
- Don’t overcook your salmon. Ideally, remove the salmon from the oven before it’s “done” as it will continue cooking while it rests.
Love Salmon? Try these recipes!
Best Fish Recipes
- How to Make Poached Fish
- How to Cook White Fish Fillet
- Shrimp Scampi Red Lobster
- How to Cook Shrimp Tempura Japanese Style
- Crispy Fish Batter Recipe
- Cajun Shrimp & Grits Recipe
- Coconut Butterfly Shrimp Recipe
- Fried Shrimp Scampi Recipe
- Clam Dip with Cream Cheese
- Seafood Gumbo Recipe
Be sure to check out more of my easy seafood recipes along with quick and easy meals.
Simple and Easy Baked Salmon
Ingredients
- 12 ounces salmon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place salmon skin side down in a baking dish. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, soy sauce, and olive oil. Whisk marinade together until the sugar dissolves. Pour over salmon. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until fish easily flakes when a fork is pressed into the flesh. If desired serve with some fleur de sel and some lemon wedges.
Holly Hooper
I think the size of chicken breasts has changed dramatically since Julia Child’s day, which could account for some of her shorter cook time.
Ashley Jones
For the chicken part of the recipe. It says canned roasted tomatoes but under instructions it says sundried tomatoes. Which is correct, canned roasted or sundried (not talking about the noodle part, I know that’s sundried.
Stephanie Manley
Which chicken recipe did you have questions about?
Kelly Hubbard
Hanks! My fiancé is an amazing cook but me, not so much! I made this today for dinner so he didn’t have to cook. It was great! Easy enough for this inexperienced cook and tasty enough for his experienced taste buds! I added A super reduced balasmic on top since we use it for Caprese salad and it baked onto The chicken really well. This recipe is a keeper! Any idea for a balsamic Like sauce to go with it?
Sue Wolber
Ok does Bake mean covered with foil or not?
Stephanie
It means you do not need to cover it with foil.
Deb
You can sub in maple syrup for the brown sugar, I usually use a little less like 1/4-1/3 cup. It blends easier and faster than the brown sugar too.
Hannah Banana
I can’t believe this was so simple, and so tasty. My kids loved this recipe.
Hannah Flack
This was so easy. I used this with some frozen salmon I had in the freezer, my husband wants me to make it again.
Hannah Flack
Making this again tonight – it is delicious! Even the picky kids likes it! And I love how quick and easy it is – with things I have on hand! Thanks for a great, easy recipe!
Alisha Ross
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts and
I will be waiting for your further post thank you once again.
Moses Brodin
Great way to make fish, but I like cheese too, do you think this would be good with cheese?
MsLadyj
This was amazing! I made creamed spinach to go with….winning!
bastisraul
Add a couple tbl of balsamic vinegar and minced garlic and it may take it up a notch for you. I tried it with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of sesame oil. Love your stuff, Steph.
Stephanie Manley
I could totally go for what you do there. I think I would try that instead of this version 😉 I bet the sesame oil is amazing stuff.
bastisraul
If you like the Asian twist, you will love this. 18-19 min on my Weber, grilling with indirect heat covered, with the vents wide open. Just re-heat the remaining sauce and serve at the table.