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Easy Baked Salmon Recipe

This Baked Salmon, using simple sheet pan is a deliciously quick and easy weeknight meal that’s healthy and flavorful. This easy salmon recipe only needs 15 minutes.

easy salmon recipe,  lemon basil salmon, lemon salmon, sheet pan salmon
Easy Baked Salmon with Lemon = SO easy and delicious!

Watch Us Make Baked Salmon

Easy Baked Salmon Recipe   Chew Out Loud

Easy Baked Salmon

If you sometimes feel promptings or read articles that encourage adding more healthful fish into your regular dinner rotation, you’re not alone.

Pretty much everywhere we turn, we’re reading or hearing about how to add more omega-3’s or incorporate more wild salmon onto our plates.

We will admit: all of us would much prefer a flavorful serving of a deliciously baked salmon, rather than pop omega-3 pills. And while a teaspoon or two of flax in this amazing Omega-3 Chocolate Cake is genius, it’s definitely not a daily weeknight occasion.

But an easy, flavorful baked salmon on a sheet pan? We’re talking minimal prep, minimal dirty dishes, and maximum healthy-deliciousness in under 30 minutes. This lemony baked salmon is absolutely for daily weeknight occasions. Looking for more easy ways to cook salmon? Try this salmon in the air fryer recipe!

Why You’ll Love This

  • It’s crazy easy and deliciously tender and flavorful
  • It tastes like you spent SO much more time than you did.
  • You really only spent 20 minutes on it.
  • It’s like getting restaurant quality salmon, but way more affordable and totally manageable.
  • There’s basically zero cleanup.
  • Oh, and this: omega-3’s 😉
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Use a foil lined sheet pan for easy prepping and cleaning

Easy Sheet Pan Method

For most sheet pan dinners, you’ll want to use a sturdy, large sheet pan with rims to prevent any spillage of savory juices onto the bottom of your oven. Avoid flimsy or thin metal pans. Always line with heavy duty foil and grease it prior to placing ingredients on it. This helps with super easy clean up, without any food sticking to the foil. When you’re finished cooking, just fold up the used foil and toss away.

Aside from a nice, thick piece of salmon, you’ll need just a few fresh ingredients to make this salmon recipe come alive:

  • Fresh basil is a unique addition to this simple baked salmon, and lends a fabulous flavor profile
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest are key; bottled lemon juice is not recommended.
  • Basic pantry seasonings such as garlic, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper to bring all the flavors alive.

How Long to Bake Salmon

This lemon salmon needs only 15 minutes on the sheet pan total. From start to finish, this broiled salmon comes together in about 20 minutes. You’ll roast your salmon on a large sheet pan for 10 minutes and then finish it off with a 5-minute high broil for gorgeous browning and color.

easy salmon recipe,  lemon basil salmon, lemon salmon, sheet pan salmon
Super easy, flavorful baked salmon is yours.

Tips for The Best Salmon

  • Use salmon that’s about 1-inch thick; if it’s thinner than that, please lessen cook time to ensure your beautiful salmon isn’t overcooked.
  • As a rule, always use paper towels to pat dry your fish prior to adding seasonings. It’s tempting to skip that part, but don’t skip it. Removing excess moisture from your fish is important for both flavor and browning results.
  • Watch closely when your salmon is under the broiler, ensuring even browning without burning.
  • Let finished dish sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving, to retain juiciness.

More to Cook and Eat


Try this Marinated seared ahi tuna, too


Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

lemon basil baked salmon

Easy Baked Salmon

5 from 195 ratings
This Baked Salmon with Lemon is a deliciously quick and easy weeknight meal that’s healthy and flavorful. This salmon recipe only needs 15 minutes on the sheet pan.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375F with rack on lower middle position. Line a large sheet pan with foil and grease the foil with some olive oil. Set aside.
  • Remove Moisture: Use paper towels to pat-dry the salmon fillet, ensuring that all excess moisture is removed (this step is important, as excess water/moisture causes fish to be "steamed" instead.) Place salmon on the prepared sheet pan.
  • Mix Seasonings: In a small bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients until combined. Evenly press the mixture over the top of salmon.
  • Bake: Bake salmon for 10 minutes in preheated oven. Carefully but quickly take salmon out, move rack to top position underneath the broiler, and place salmon tray back on rack.
  • Broil: Broil on high for up to 5 minutes or until top is nicely browned, but watch carefully for even browning without burning. Remove from heat immediately. Serve with extra slices of lemon.

Notes

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.1g | Protein: 34.1g | Fat: 9.6g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Cholesterol: 77.2mg | Sodium: 313.1mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 2.1g
Course: Main, seafood
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat
Method: Bake

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Recipe Rating




82 comments

    • Sunrita
    • 5 stars

    This dish has surely been a delight to make and serve for the whole family. The flavours came out perfectly well. Served it with some butters sweet potato and normal
    Potato mash and green beans. A winner!

    • Heather
    • 5 stars

    Cooked perfectly, great flavor.. and so much easier than when I attempt pan frying! Thanks!

    • Colleen
    • 5 stars

    This simple salmon recipe comes out perfect every time! The salmon is never dried out or overcooked. Thanks for sharing!

    • Claudia Krusch
    • 5 stars

    We love salmon at our house! I can hardly wait to try your recipe!

    • Wanda Lopez
    • 5 stars

    I’m so happy to see this recipe. We have salmon on the menu for tomorrow and I was searching on ways to make it. Love this recipe.

      • chewoutloud

      Yay, so glad you like it!

    • Wren

    This looks pretty delicious! I know I do not eat near enough fish and I have to fix that now!

    • Nancy Horn
    • 5 stars

    I absolutely adore salmon and make it around 1-2 times a week. I usually do garlic and lime juice, but I haven’t done a lemon salmon in a long time. It’s GENIUS to add some basil to it.
    Sheet pan meals are the best!

      • chewoutloud

      We just made it again last night – so good!

    • Ellen Jacobs
    • 5 stars

    Prepared 1st time exactly as written and it was delicious and perfect! Was worried about the amount of time but it was spot on. Our pieces had a thin side to them, so I cut those off and just waited until it was time to broil to put them on the tray. I also did not use our convection option since the recipe didn’t mention. 2nd time, I subbed fennel rub for the fresh basil as our plants have bolted and only the bees are enjoying them now. This modified version was equally as good.
    If you haven’t tried COL Easy Lemon Butter Fish in 20 Minutes, it too is foolproof and wonderful.

      • chewoutloud

      So happy to hear you all loved this, Ellen!

    • Sanice
    • 5 stars

    yummm!! the pictures make me impatient to try this recipe myself haha

    • Sanice
    • 5 stars

    yummm!! love this recipe so much. cannot wait to try it this weekend

    • Luna Regina
    • 5 stars

    Fantastic! Especially delicious with fresh salmon.

    • Melanie
    • 5 stars

    We are huge fans of salmon in our house and this would be a success!

    • Nicole

    Salmons is my favorite fish. And it looks so good i. This recipe. Can’t wait to try.

    • Mikayla
    • 5 stars

    I loved how quick and easy this was! The flavors compliment the salmon so well, it went great with roasted summer squash too.

      • chewoutloud

      Yes, roasted squash is a perfect side with this salmon! Glad you loved it, Mikayla! 🙂

    • Jacqui DeBono
    • 5 stars

    We have a ton of basil in the yard already, and I had lemons that needed using, so we made this dish this evening. It was so quick and easy to prepare. Even the kids loved it! So light and healthy, but filling!

    • GUNJAN C Dudani
    • 5 stars

    oh i so wish i could make this for my dad. he loves salmon but due to this lockdown situation we are unable to meet since he lives in a different country. This sheet pan salmon recipe is totally delicious and lip smacking.

    • LINDSEY PINE
    • 5 stars

    Roasted salmon is one of my favorite ways to cook fish. This recipe will definitely be added to my summer meal repertoire

    • Tara
    • 5 stars

    This salmon was so flakey! I’ve always grilled mine, but I love the the sheet pan method. It was so easy yet the presentation and flavor would leave you to believe only a true chef could make a salmon that turned out this tasty!

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you all enjoyed this!!

    • Bernice M Hill
    • 5 stars

    Now this is my kind of sheet pan dinner. We haven’t had salmon since the pandemic started…and now I’m craving it! This salmon is cooked just the way I like it.

    • veenaazmanov
    • 5 stars

    Such an amazing flavor. I love the flavor of lemon too. This dish is definitely easy, quick and yummy.

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you liked this! 🙂

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