Baked Salmon Fillet (Printable Format)

Tender salmon fillet baked with lemon, garlic, and herbs for a quick, flavorful dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), skin-on or skinless

→ Marinade

02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
04 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried
07 - 1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped or ½ teaspoon dried
08 - ½ teaspoon salt
09 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Garnish

10 - 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
11 - Fresh dill or parsley, chopped (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare a baking tray with parchment paper or grease lightly.
02 - Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, thyme, dill, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
03 - Arrange salmon fillets on the tray, skin-side down if present, and brush marinade evenly over each fillet.
04 - Place a slice of lemon atop each salmon fillet.
05 - Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until salmon flakes easily and is opaque in the center.
06 - Sprinkle with fresh dill or parsley before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The salmon stays impossibly tender while the herbs and lemon create a restaurant-quality glaze you didn't know you needed.
  • Prep time is genuinely ten minutes, leaving you free to set the table and pour a drink instead of sweating over the stove.
  • It's the kind of dinner that makes you feel like you're taking care of yourself without any guilt or complicated technique.
02 -
  • Don't overbake; salmon can go from perfect to dry in about two minutes, so check it at the fifteen-minute mark.
  • If your fillets are thicker than usual, they might need the full eighteen minutes, but rely on the flake test rather than time alone.
03 -
  • Marinating for even just fifteen minutes before baking deepens the flavor noticeably, though it's not required if you're short on time.
  • Room-temperature salmon cooks more evenly than cold fish straight from the fridge, so pull it out five minutes before the oven is ready.

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