Simple and Easy Baked Salmon

It can be hard to come up with new meals for during the week. Work can run late, and how many evenings do you get the chance to make a simply delicious meal and enjoy it? I have a solution for you: baked salmon, This salmon recipe has four simple ingredients, and it will make you a hero for dinner.

baked salmon with sauce and lemon wedges on a platter


Oven Baked Salmon

It can be hard to come up with new meals during the week. Work can run late, meaning that you don’t get many evenings when you can make a simply delicious meal and enjoy it.

I have a solution for you: baked salmon. I love a dinner like this. I can pop it in the oven and get a few more things done while it’s cooking. This way, the food and I are ready to sit down and enjoy our time spent together.

I don’t know why I didn’t post this easy baked salmon recipe sooner. It is one of my go-to recipes for salmon that I have made for over ten years.

This salmon recipe will make you a hero for dinner – it’s so simple and so tasty.

Recipe Ingredients

It has a fish fillet and three simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand in your pantry. Here’s the list:

  • Salmon
  • Brown sugar
  • Soy sauce
  • Olive oil

If you want to get fancy, you can add a little lemon juice and some fleur de sel.

baked salmon ingredients

Costco Salmon is Perfect for this Recipe

I love to shop at Costco. This is a great baked salmon recipe for Costco salmon because they sell frozen salmon in individual packages, which are perfect for dinner.

I do buy fresh salmon at the store too, but I love having a few tasty meals handy in the freezer. If I am using the frozen fish from Costco, I will take the pieces out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator when I leave for work in the morning. This way, they will be defrosted and ready to be cooked when I get home.

How to Cook Baked Salmon

I am almost ashamed to tell you how to make this baked salmon dish. It’s so easy!

  1. You simply mix up equal parts of soy sauce, brown sugar, and olive oil and pour this over the salmon.
  2. Then you bake the salmon for about 15 minutes or so depending upon the size of your fish.

That’s all there is to it.

What to Serve with Baked Salmon

Here are some great side dishes to serve along with salmon:

Cooking during the week doesn’t have to be boring. You don’t have to cook only chicken because there are other tasty alternatives. I hope you enjoy one of my favorite baked salmon recipes.

baked salmon with sauce and lemon wedges on a white platter

How to Make Perfect Baked Salmon Every Time

  1. Allow your salmon to warm up to room temperature. Take it out of your refrigerator and let it rest on your kitchen counter for 15-30 minutes. This will help promote even cooking.
  2. Don’t rinse your salmon – water can break down the flesh. Instead, gently pat the salmon all over with a paper towel.
  3. Leave the skin on and bake the salmon with the skin side down. The skin will help protect the salmon from the heat of the pan and prevent it from drying out while cooking. When you take the salmon out of the pan, the skin will come off easily if you slide a spatula between the skin and the fillet.
  4. Bake salmon at 350°F. The internal temperature of the salmon should reach 140°F. This translates to about 4-6 minutes for every 1/2-inch of thickness. If you don’t use a thermometer, you can test for doneness by inserting a knife or fork into a thick part of the salmon and twisting it a bit; the fish should be opaque (i.e., not transparent) and flake easily.
  5. Don’t overcook your salmon. Ideally, remove the salmon from the oven before it’s “done” as it will continue cooking while it rests.
baked salmon with sauce on a platter

Love Salmon? Try these recipes!

Best Fish Recipes

Be sure to check out more of my easy seafood recipes along with quick and easy meals.

baked salmon, sauce, and lemon wedges on a platter

Simple and Easy Baked Salmon

This salmon is a super quick and healthy dinner to make. 
5 from 15 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Salmon
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 481kcal

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces salmon
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Place salmon skin side down in a baking dish.
  • In a small bowl combine brown sugar, soy sauce, and olive oil. Whisk marinade together until the sugar dissolves. Pour over salmon.
  • Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until fish easily flakes when a fork is pressed into the flesh.
  • If desired, serve with some fleur de sel and some lemon wedges.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 1665mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.7mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Holly Hooper

    5 stars
    I think the size of chicken breasts has changed dramatically since Julia Child’s day, which could account for some of her shorter cook time.

  2. Ashley Jones

    5 stars
    For the chicken part of the recipe. It says canned roasted tomatoes but under instructions it says sundried tomatoes. Which is correct, canned roasted or sundried (not talking about the noodle part, I know that’s sundried.

  3. Kelly Hubbard

    5 stars
    Hanks! My fiancé is an amazing cook but me, not so much! I made this today for dinner so he didn’t have to cook. It was great! Easy enough for this inexperienced cook and tasty enough for his experienced taste buds! I added A super reduced balasmic on top since we use it for Caprese salad and it baked onto The chicken really well. This recipe is a keeper! Any idea for a balsamic Like sauce to go with it?

  4. Deb

    You can sub in maple syrup for the brown sugar, I usually use a little less like 1/4-1/3 cup. It blends easier and faster than the brown sugar too.

  5. Hannah Flack

    5 stars
    This was so easy. I used this with some frozen salmon I had in the freezer, my husband wants me to make it again.

  6. Hannah Flack

    5 stars
    Making this again tonight – it is delicious! Even the picky kids likes it! And I love how quick and easy it is – with things I have on hand! Thanks for a great, easy recipe!

  7. bastisraul

    Add a couple tbl of balsamic vinegar and minced garlic and it may take it up a notch for you. I tried it with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of sesame oil. Love your stuff, Steph.

      • bastisraul

        If you like the Asian twist, you will love this. 18-19 min on my Weber, grilling with indirect heat covered, with the vents wide open. Just re-heat the remaining sauce and serve at the table.

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