Honey garlic baked salmon makes the perfect quick weeknight meal! Flaky, perfectly cooked salmon is coated in a dreamy honey garlic butter sauce.
Salmon makes an excellent addition to your weekly dinner rotation. It's nutritious, a great source of protein, and cooks quickly - making weeknight dinners a breeze.
This salmon is topped with the most amazingly flavorful honey garlic butter sauce. All you need are a few pantry staples, so it's easy to whip up any night of the week!
Serve baked salmon with some fluffy mashed potatoes or steamed rice, and roasted veggies (like roasted zucchini) for a complete meal.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Salmon fillets - You'll need four, 4 to 6 ounce salmon fillets for this recipe.
- Honey - Can be substituted with maple syrup for a slightly different flavor.
- Butter
- Garlic - I highly suggest using fresh minced garlic for this recipe. Garlic powder will not give you the same flavor.
- Dijon mustard
- Seasoning - Salt and red pepper flakes (can be substituted with black pepper for a milder flavor).
As a garnish:
- Chopped parsley
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Tips for cooking salmon
- Before baking, check your salmon for pin bones. Gently run your hands across the top of the salmon fillet. You'll feel a hard bit protruding from your fillet. Use pliers or your fingers to gently pull the bone out.
- It is easy to overcook salmon. Salmon is lean and does not need to cook as long as other cuts of meat, like beef or chicken.
- Testing for doneness - use a fork to pierce into the largest part of your salmon fillet. If it flakes apart easily, it's done.
What to serve with salmon
Here are a few of my favorite side dishes to serve with salmon:
- Mashed potatoes
- Asparagus bow tie pasta
- Parmesan asparagus
- Chopped kale avocado salad
- Roasted zucchini and squash
- Green beans and onions
Leftovers
Leftover salmon is best served cold (or reheated carefully so as to not dry out). I suggest flaking it over a salad, adding to a sandwich wrap with lettuce and tomato, or stirring into to a cold pasta salad.
Leftover salmon will keep for 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Honey Garlic Baked Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets about 4-6 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Garnish
- fresh parsley
- juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet (or any oven safe baking dish) with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- Place salmon fillets in the center of prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart and skin side down.
- In a bowl, add honey, melted butter, minced garlic, dijon mustard, salt, and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine. Spoon honey sauce over fillets and spread into an even layer.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 10-12 minutes (for a 1 inch thick salmon fillet), or just until salmon flakes apart easily in the center when tested with a fork.
- Plate your salmon and spoon honey sauce from the pan over each fillet. Garnish with chopped parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Leftover salmon will keep for 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Before baking, check your salmon for pin bones. Gently run your hands across the top of each salmon fillet. You'll feel a hard bit protruding from your fillet. Use pliers or your fingers to gently pull the bone out.
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