Baked Salmon

Name: Baked Salmon
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 12 oz salmon (two center-cut fillets, skin on, patted dry); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp butter (softened); 1 clove garlic (minced); 1 unit lemon (half juiced, half sliced thin); 1 tbsp dill (chopped); ¾ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper (cracked)

Seafood & Poultry · American

8 ingredients · 25 minutes · 2 servings

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Variations

Grilled SalmonThe same salmon, over fire instead of in the oven — hotter, faster, and skin-side discipline instead of a rack position.View recipe →

Adjustments for this recipe

Adjust the portions

Use the serving control below to adjust ingredient quantities. Follow the method and its doneness cues; the serving control does not recalculate cooking times.

474kcal35g protein35.4g fat2.7g carbs~$4.57/ serving*

Contains dairy, fish

Restrictions

Containsdairy · fishIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.

Diets

PescatarianNo porkNo alcohol

Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.

Ingredients

Servings:

12 oz	salmon (two center-cut fillets, skin on, patted dry)
1 tbsp	olive oil
1 tbsp	butter (softened)
1 clove	garlic (minced)
1 unit	lemon (half juiced, half sliced thin)
1 tbsp	dill (chopped)
¾ tsp	salt
¼ tsp	black pepper (cracked)

Optional

Not counted above. The dish works without them.

1 tsp	honey
1 tsp	mustard (dijon)
1 tbsp	capers (drained)
1 tbsp	parsley (chopped)
¼ tsp	paprika-smoked

Steps

Season15 min
room temperature, uncovered
- salmon
- black pepper
salmon + salt + pepper on all sides, then leave it on the counter on a rack — the salt draws surface moisture out, which then reabsorbs as brine, and a fillet that starts at 60°F rather than 38°F cooks evenly instead of overcooking its outer half while the center is still cold
Prep3 min
oven at 425°F
pat the fillets dry a second time, oil the pan and the skin — any water left on the surface has to boil off before browning can start, and while it boils it steams the flesh directly above it
Mix2 min
butter + garlic + lemon juice + dill (+ honey + mustard if glazing) into a paste — raw garlic laid loose on the fish scorches at this heat, but suspended in butter it perfumes the fat instead of burning
Bake12 min
425°F, upper-middle rack, uncovered
salmon skin-side down + butter paste spread over the top + lemon slices, until the thickest point reads 120–125°F and the flesh flakes when nudged but still looks translucent at the very center. White curd weeping onto the surface is albumin squeezed out by muscle contracting too fast — it means the heat got ahead of you, so pull earlier next time, not later
Rest5 min
loosely tented, off heat
- capers
- parsley
carryover carries it another 5–8°F to about 130°F, which is where salmon is set but still moist; resting also lets the juices that collected in the center redistribute rather than run out on the plate. Finish with parsley and capers