With simple ingredients like lemon, garlic and Dijon mustard, this easy Garlic Butter Salmon can be on the table in less than 30 minutes for the perfect weeknight dinner solution.
Farm Raised Vs Wild Caught Salmon
Farm raised salmon is raised in a container and controlled environment while wild caught is caught out on the open sea.
Some feel that sustainable, farm raised salmon is the more responsible approach to eating seafood since it isn’t depleting the natural population. Salmon consumption has increased significantly within the past two decades after the extreme health benefits were revealed.
Experts claim that the health benefits between farm raised and wild caught salmon are the same, however farm raised aren’t nearly as active, as they kept in smaller aquariums and don’t get as much daily exercise. Size, genetics and breeding practices vary from farm to farm.
Farm raised salmon with be rosy-orange, while wild caught fresh salmon is a deeper pink or red. Some feel the flavor of wild caught is better and more flavorful. For those who don’t care for fish as much or are new to salmon, farm raised might be a good gradual step to eating fish.
Wild caught tends to be a little more expensive and might look a little rougher. You can use either you prefer when making this garlic butter salmon.
Ingredients
All of these garlic butter salmon ingredients are pretty commonly found at your local grocery store. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Salmon fillet – Make sure your salmon filets have no skin, or just be sure to remove the skin after cooking.
- Butter
- Garlic
- Flat parsley
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon
Sidekicks That Shine
Salmon pairs with nearly anything from pasta to rice and certainly veggies. I’ve served it over my famous garlic linguine and also almond rice pilaf. Air fryer zucchini, broccoli, a side salad and hearts of palm cakes are also great options.
And come on, bread is always a good option. Cheddar biscuits and the ultimate cheesy garlic bread are my favorites. Or potatoes- you can never go wrong with any type of potato.
Garlic Butter Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon flat parsley , minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 pound salmon fillet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a large piece of aluminum foil on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, mash together the butter, garlic, parsley, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest.
- Slather, best you can, all over salmon. Don’t worry about it being even, after it melts it will evenly distribute.
- Wrap salmon tightly and bake for 15-20 minutes. This depends greatly on the thickness of your salmon.
- Remove salmon and pull back aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings!
Nutrition
Storage & Freezing
Garlic Butter Salmon is best enjoyed after being freshly prepared. It can be reheated in the microwave, but I recommend doing so within 2 days of cooking. Oven, microwave or even pan fried are all great ways to reheat.
Most salmon, even “fresh” salmon has been previously frozen and should not be refrozen. Cooked salmon that is frozen tends to defrost dry and gummy. I highly recommend eating this one fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
The white stuff is called albumin and is harmless. In fact, it is a protein that is also found in eggs (the whites) and milk. It separates from the other molecules when heat is added to the food. It has nothing to do with the baked salmon recipe you are using and everything to do with the actual piece of salmon.
Every piece of salmon will have a different amount of the white stuff, but you can reduce how much comes out if it really bothers you. Simply cook your salmon less aggressively at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time.
Salmon can technically be served raw, like in sushi or poke bowls, but you’d need to be really certain that is was properly handling and stored from catching to your kitchen. Sushi grade tuna is hard to come by.
But even the salmon you buy at the store doesn’t need to be cooked into dry oblivion. I prefer mine to be cooked to 120°F, but fully cooked would be 145°. At 120°F the fibers are just starting to pull part and retain a good amount of moisture.
If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, you can eyeball it when fibers start to easily flake with a fork.
More Salmon Recipes
Salmon is one of my favorite proteins to make. You can pair it with so many flavor and prepare it so many ways. Here are a few of our favorite salmon recipes.
for some reason, I’m always stumped on what to do with salmon, and even though I know it’s good for me I avoid cooking it for that reason. This recipe makes me think I can do it! going to buy some salmon now 🙂
I am absolutely sure that this recipe is out of this world – that salmon looks absolutely stunning!
The Garlic Butter is everything! I love how easy it is to clean up, just toss the foil!
So easy and simple to make. Love it.
Simple and yet so flavorful. Easy and quick and healthy too. Baked Salmon sounds super delicious and I love it.