Make Dill Salmon a Meal!

Turn this oven baked salmon recipe into a whole meal! It pairs well with:

• Side Dish: Pasta Salad– This classic pasta salad pairs perfectly with salmon!
• Salad: Italian Salad – This classic side dish is colorful and full of flavor!
• Bread: Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks – Dip these in your marinara! YUM!
• Drink: Red Wine Sangria – This is one of my all time favorite sangria recipes. Use the rest of the wine leftover from your marinara recipe.
• Dessert: Chocolate Lasagna – This needs no introduction!

How to Choose Salmon a Good Salmon Fillet

You can find a wide variety of quality of salmon in the grocery store. Most stores serve fresh salmon that was once frozen, as well as salmon in the freezer section. You can also choose from farmed salmon and wild caught salmon.

• The most important thing to look for is a salmon that is not dried out and does not have any dark spots on the fillet.
• If you have a choice, go for the salmon with more color and a nice marbling.
• When you press your finger into the salmon flesh it should be firm, not squishy. A light press of the finger should spring back, not leave a fingerprint.

How to Avoid Overcooking Salmon:

Do not cook salmon. It is probably the number one reason people think they don’t like salmon. Overcooked salmon is dry and chalky and many baked salmon recipes will instruct you to overcook the salmon. Thankfully, it’s easy to cook salmon to perfection if you follow these guidelines.

• Remove your salmon from heat when it is 125 degrees.
• Cover and let stand for 10 minutes after removing from heat. It will continue to cook.
• The FDA recommends cooking salmon to 145 degrees. If you remove your salmon from the heat when it hits 145 degrees it will be overcooked and dry by the time you eat it.

Ways to Serve Baked Salmon

• Pasta Salad: Use our delicious pasta salad recipe to make a delicious main dish with your dill salmon or use your leftovers the next day.
• Spinach Salad: Toss spinach, red onions, tomatoes and hot bacon pieces and put the oven baked salmon on top.
• Tacos: Omit the dill in your salmon seasoning and put your salmon on a warm corn tortilla topped with fresh pico de gallo, thinly sliced cabbage, queso fresco, cilantro and a little sour cream.

Ingredients:

• Herbs: Dill, pepper and garlic make this salmon seasoning bursting with flavor.
• Butter: Butter isn’t totally necessary but adds a lot to the flavor combination and keeps it moist.
• Lemon: Whatever you do, don’t omit the lemon!

Possible Salmon Seasoning Variations

• Make it saucy: Use this salmon recipe in our chicken in white wine sauce recipe! Flour the salmon and then season as directed in this recipe. Cook as directed in the white wine sauce recipe. Salmon cooks much quicker so you will only need to cook for a minute or two on each side, depending on the thickness of your salmon.
• Omit the dill: Don’t love dill? Try parsley instead.

How to Make Oven Baked Salmon with Lemon:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aide. Alternatively you can cook your salmon on parchment paper for all baked salmon recipes.

Step 2: Make your salmon seasoning. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, black pepper, dill, minced garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Step 3: Prepare your salmon. Remove salmon fillet from its packaging and use a paper towel to pat it dry. DO NOT RINSE. If using skin-on salmon (we like skin-on best), do not cut off the skin, but wipe off any fish scales that may have made their way onto the flesh.

Step 4: Prepare to bake your dill salmon in the oven. Place salmon fillet, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet.

Step 5: Brush butter mixture over the top of the salmon fillet and spread evenly.

Step 6: Time to cook! Bake salmon for 10-12 minutes or until it is just beginning to turn opaque in the center and registers around 125°. Do not overcook! Overcooked salmon is dry and not what we’re going for here.

If you’d like to brown the top of the salmon fillet, flip the oven on to the broil setting and broil for a couple minutes longer. Be aware this will cook your salmon more so you might want to start this when your salmon is at a cooler temperature.

Garnish with fresh lemon juice and serve. I recommend serving baked salmon recipes with the follow side dishes because they’re so tasty!

Frequently Asked Questions