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Cooking With Anadi
12K subscribers · salmon with lemon, garlic and fresh herbs, steamed in foil
Not only is salmon good for you, it is also a major component of the Mediterranean diet, often cited to be the best diet in the world. Read ahead to learn how to make the best oven baked salmon so that it is flaky and flavorful.
The best part about this baked salmon recipe is the lemon-garlic sauce which goes great with the rice and green beans. All of you that are looking to hit the gym, get a taste of this!
I know for some folks fish can be a pesky protein! It’s easy to over-cook or to get a great flavor. This oven baked salmon recipe is excellent for beginners, so this simple baked salmon recipe is a wonderful SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goal toward mastering fish - we all start somewhere! Actually, making oven baked salmon was the first way I ever learned to cook fish, and it was my sister’s first time cooking fish too! Sadly, she forgot about it in the oven and over-cooked it, but now she’s a pro at cooking salmon! If you want to learn more about setting SMART goals and how they can motivate you to cook up new creations in the kitchen, then check out my free guide Make Cooking Fun!!
That being said, this Lemon-Herb Baked Salmon Recipe is an excellent way for you to break out of your comfort zone and have fish no longer be a pesky protein! Be sure to try out this recipe as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge, which you can get started for free by signing up to my email newsletter!
For a complete easy-to-follow demonstration to digest the concepts presented in this post, then don’t forget to watch the video at the bottom! It would mean a lot to me if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already and be sure to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes go live! Let’s get cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Oven Baked Salmon Recipe with Lemon and Herbs!
- Simple and clean flavors: This salmon recipe is just so delicious in many ways! We’ve got a combination of fresh and dry herbs in addition to tangy lemon juice, rich olive oil, and aromatic garlic. Plus, salmon itself gives a great flavor!
- Super easy to prep: This is a quick marinade, plus preparing the marinade should only take a couple of minutes.
- Hands-off recipe: After the marinade is ready, you basically just toss the salmon in the oven and let the oven work its magic! Even the rice doesn’t require much babying. The green beans will be ready right before your eyes!
- Nutritious: Everything about this salmon is so healthy! Salmon itself is full of incredible healthy fats to promote heart health and brain health, in addition to protein to keep you full and satisfied. The side dishes I present here also provide you with an overall balanced meal that’s excellent for the family.
- Customizable: Check out different serving suggestions later on in the bottom of this post to craft your perfect meal and to keep things interesting!
Pointers to Make Lemon and Herb Salmon Work for You!
Tender and Juicy
The technique used in this baked salmon recipe is so simple, it is perfect for beginner cooks. Simply add the marinated salmon with the marinade to the center of a large foil. Then, fold each corner and tighten until you make a foil “boat”. This helps trap the steam and keep the salmon moist.
How Long Should I Bake The Salmon For?▼
Usually it depends on the thickness of the fillet and your doneness preference. We usually enjoy our salmon medium rare, but since this recipe is directed towards beginners, the numbers are for a well-done salmon.
For a 4-ounce salmon, the salmon should cook well in about 20-30 minutes in a 375 F oven. If you are still uncertain, you can check the salmon internal temperature at the center of the fillet with an instant read thermometer. Canada Health recommends a minimum internal temperature for salmon of 70°C (158°F). Click here for more information.
What Should I Look For in a Salmon Fillet?▼
I prefer buying personal sized fillets to ensure each piece, when served looks just perfect, it makes serving so much easier. However, in case you are baking salmon for a big crowd, buying a large fillet (1-2 pounds) may be both cheaper and easier to prepare.
At the grocery store/fish market, ensure the color of the salmon is vibrant and it does not smell excessively fishy. Also, depending on where you buy the fillet, you may need to de-bone the flesh.
In terms of variety, I almost exclusively go for wild-caught Pacific (also known as Coho) salmon. Avoid farmed salmon (Atlantic) as much as you can when baking salmon! Even though it is cheaper, it cannot match the latter in terms of flavor.
Do I purchase salmon with the skin?▼
Yes, it is ideal to purchase skin-on salmon. This is because you’ll be cooking the fish on the pan skin-side down. The salmon skin is a crucial part because it creates a wall between the delicate salmon flesh and the pan, which will reduce the risk of the fish over cooking and drying out. Technically you could use a fillet without skin, but I think it’s better to cook the fish with the skin on!
That being said, you can remove the skin before or after cooking the fish. However, it’s best to remove the skin afterward because if you try to remove the skin on raw salmon, it can be quite messy! Additionally, as previously mentioned, you won’t have that barrier that can prevent over-cooking.
What About Eating the Skin For Lemon Herb Salmon?▼
Salmon skin is a touchy subject. You can for sure eat salmon skin as it is actually quite tasty and nutritious for you. However, the salmon skin being edible depends on how you cook the salmon. If you’re going to grill or pan-sear the salmon to get a crispy skin, then I recommend it. On the other hand, when you bake salmon (such as in this recipe), the skin is soft and rubbery, which is not good at all! For this case, you’ll want to separate the actual fillet from the skin once it’s finished baking, and then toss out the skin. You really won’t be missing anything!
What to Serve with Oven Baked Salmon with Lemon and Herbs?
You will see how to make simple steamed rice here in addition to some sautéed green beans. However, if you want to mix and match this meal to have your own healthy creation for dinner, then here are some other ideas!
- Ultimate Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Air Fryer Feta Fries
- Garlic-Butter Sautéed Broccoli
- Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Roasted Almonds
- Vegan Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Simple & Quick Lentil Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta with Summer Veggies
- Chipotle Cilantro-Lime Rice
- Restaurant-Style Mexican Red Rice
Tools Needed to Make Salmon Bake in Foil
- Fish spatula
- Cutting board
- Salt crock
- Microplane
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Pepper mill
- Mixing bowl
- Aluminum foil
- Baking tray
- Garlic press
Ingredients for Lemon and Herb Baked Salmon
Check out the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button or scrolling to the bottom of this post for full ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how many portions of fish you want to make - all ingredient quantities are automatically adjusted for you!
For the Salmon
- Salmon: The best choice is a wild-caught salmon with the skin on. You’ll see how it’s got a vibrant color and trust me - it tastes so much better!
- Garlic cloves: The minced garlic just melts into the sauce!
- Olive oil: Healthy for you and key to bring out the Mediterranean flavors. Make sure to pick out a good quality olive oil and be wary of fake olive oil.
- Spices: Dried oregano, dill and parsley make up a simple combination with bold flavors.
- Whole lemon: The base of the marinade and provides tons of tanginess.
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
For the Rice
- Basmati rice
- Water
For the Green Beans
How to Make Lemon and Herb Baked Salmon
To Make the Salmon
Prepare the marinade by combining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, parsley, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Add salmon and coat with marinade.
Marinate up to 15 minutes.
Heat oven to 375F.
Take a large aluminum foil and nestle a filet of salmon down the center. Start from each ends, bring up edges fold and create a seal or a boat.
Bake in oven for 8-12 mins or until pink, tender and flaky with a fork.
To Make the Green Beans
Bring a skillet to medium heat and add some olive oil, add beans, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper and cook 5-10 mins until tender.
To Make the Rice
For more tips and trick on how to prepare the best white rice, check out my full recipe on steamed rice.
- Add 2/3 Cup rice with 1 1/3 cups of water to a pot/saucepan and bring to boil.
- Once the rice comes to boil, put lid on the pot/saucepan and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender.
Then, plate everything together.
Serve hot, and enjoy!
What to Do With Leftover Salmon?▼
This baked salmon recipe can be made in advance! Store the salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I’d recommend that you keep it in the fridge for no longer than two days, however, as the salmon will dry out! I’d also recommend not storing the salmon with the rice, as the rice will absorb all the amazing flavors from the salmon and dry it out quicker.
To reheat your salmon, you can microwave it for about a minute or until warmed through.
What to Do With Extra marinade?▼
I actually had extra marinade when I was recently preparing this oven baked salmon recipe for the video! If you do have any extra, it’s really easy to freeze it! Simply transfer your marinade to an airtight container or ziploc, and freeze it for about 3 to 4 months. I wouldn’t keep your extra marinade in the fridge for longer than a day or two because the garlic in it can spoil.
Which Salmon to Buy: Types, Cuts and Fillet Thickness
I say up in the ingredients to look for wild-caught salmon with the skin on, and that is still my advice — but "salmon" covers several different fish, and the one you pick changes how much room for error you have.
King (also sold as chinook) is the fattiest and by a distance the most forgiving; all that fat means it stays juicy even if you leave it in a couple of minutes too long. Sockeye is the deep red one, leaner and firmer, with a stronger flavor — it is beautiful here but it cooks fast, so it is the one to watch. Coho sits neatly between the two. Pink and chum salmon are the leanest and cheapest of the bunch, and most often sold canned or frozen; they will work in the foil boat, but they dry out quickest, so check them early.
If salmon is not at the counter, the recipe card lists two swaps I am happy with: arctic char, which has a similar fat content and texture, and steelhead trout, which is milder and usually easier to find.
Whatever you buy, try to get two salmon fillets of a similar thickness. That is the whole reason the bake time is a range — eight to twelve minutes — rather than a single number. A thick center-cut piece of salmon and a thin tail piece simply do not finish together, so two matched fillets means one check instead of two.
How to Tell When Your Baked Salmon Is Done
The cue in the recipe is pink, tender, and flaky with a fork, and here is what that actually looks like. Raw salmon flesh is slightly translucent and glossy. As it cooks it turns opaque and matte, and that change works from the outside in — so the test is always at the thickest part of the fillet, never at the thin edge, which turns opaque long before the middle does.
Press gently with a fork at that thickest point. If the flesh separates into flakes with almost no resistance, it is ready. If it still holds together in one solid piece, give it another minute or two and check again. At 375F, start checking at eight minutes.
The foil boat is on your side here. Because it traps the steam, opening it for a look costs you very little moisture, and you can fold it shut and carry on. Do lean toward pulling it slightly early rather than slightly late — a sealed parcel of salmon keeps cooking on the counter for a minute after it comes out of the oven, and the leaner types will go from perfect to dry in that time.
One small practical thing: sit the foil boat on a baking sheet rather than straight on the oven rack. It is far easier to slide in and out, and if the seal gives way anywhere the tray catches the marinade instead of the bottom of your oven.
Herb Swaps, Sides and Storing Leftover Salmon
The marinade is a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, lemon zest, dried oregano and a generous amount of fresh parsley and dill, whisked together in a bowl before the fish goes in. It takes swaps well.
No fresh dill? A tablespoon of dried dill covers it, with a little less brightness. Fresh thyme, stripped off the stalk, or torn basil both sit comfortably alongside the parsley, though basil is best added at the end since heat dulls it. And if you have no fresh garlic in the house, half a teaspoon of garlic powder will do the job — you lose the way minced garlic melts into the sauce, but the flavor is there. A couple of thin lemon slices tucked into the foil alongside the fillet are entirely optional, and mostly for how it looks when you open the parcel at the table.
On the plate, the rice and sautéed green beans below are what I serve most often, but roasted asparagus, broccoli, or just a sharp green salad all work with a lemon-and-herb fillet — anything that brings a bit of crunch against soft fish.
And the health claim is worth making precisely: the fats in salmon that get all the attention are omega-3 fatty acids, chiefly EPA and DHA, which is the reason oily fish keeps turning up in heart-health advice. The fattier types — king, sockeye, coho — carry more of them than the leaner pink and chum do.
Leftover salmon keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. I would not reheat it hard, because a second round of heat is what turns good salmon dry and chalky. Flake it cold into a salad, fold it through pasta, or pile it on toast with a squeeze of lemon instead.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Flaky, flavorful, and on the table fast. This easy lemon herb baked salmon is fresh, healthy, and perfect served over rice. A simple weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
Oven-baked
Rate this recipe ✦
10 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
45 min
Total
2
fillets
medium
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
For the baked pesto salmon
Instructions
To prepare the salmon
- 1
Prepare the marinade by combining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, parsley, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl and add salmon and coat with marinade. Marinate up to 15 minutes.
Prepare the marinade by combining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, parsley, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl and add salmon and coat with marinade. Marinate up to 15 minutes.
- 2
Heat oven to 375F.
Heat oven to 375°F (191°C).
- 3
Take a large aluminum foil and nestle a filet of salmon down the center. Start from each end, bring up edges and fold and create a seal or a boat.
Take a large aluminum foil and nestle a filet of salmon down the center. Start from each end, bring up edges and fold and create a seal or a boat.
- 4
Bake in oven for 8-12 minutes or until pink, tender and flaky with a fork.
Bake in oven for 8-12 minutes or until pink, tender and flaky with a fork.
To prepare the green beans
- 1
Bring a skillet to medium heat and add some olive oil, add beans, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper and cook 5-10 mins until tender.
Bring a skillet to medium heat and add some olive oil, add beans, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper and cook 5-10 mins until tender.
To make the rice
- 1
Add rice with 2 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to boil.
Add rice with 2 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to boil.
- 2
Once rice comes to boil, put lid on and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until rice is tender.
Once rice comes to boil, put lid on and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until rice is tender.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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