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This Garlic Butter Baked Salmon is tender, flaky, and brushed with a drool-worthy garlic butter sauce! Baked on a sheet pan with your favorite veggies, it’s quick, easy, and perfect for busy weeknights.
Whipping up an easy salmon recipe for dinner doesn’t get any better or simpler than this garlic butter baked salmon. It’s the best way to enjoy fresh salmon, requiring just a few ingredients and minimal prep time. Imagine tender salmon filets slathered in a mouth-watering garlic butter sauce, making every bite a delicious affair. And don’t forget the veggies! Broccoli, green beans, and asparagus are great companions, cooking to perfection right alongside the fish.
Why I Love This Garlic Butter Salmon Recipe
- Easy sheet pan dinner. Everything is cooked right on one baking sheet, which means less mess and clean up for me!
- Tender, flaky salmon every time. If you’ve ever wondered how to cook salmon in the oven, this garlic butter salmon is the answer. You’ll have perfectly flaky salmon each and every time.
- Ready in 30 minutes. From start to finish, this recipe takes just 30 minutes. Easy enough for a busy weeknight but elegant enough for a special occasion!
What You’ll Need
This easy recipe is the secret to a quick, nutritious, and universally loved meal, ready in about 30 minutes. Let’s take a closer look at the simple ingredients for this delicious and healthy meal.
- Salmon Fillets: Ideal size is about 5 to 6 ounces each. Ensure they are roughly the same size and weight for even cooking.
- Broccoli: Fresh broccoli is preferred, but feel free to substitute with your favorite green veggies.
- Garlic: Use fresh minced garlic. Garlic powder could be used in a pinch, using 1/8 teaspoon for every clove.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used to control the saltiness of the dish. Substitute with olive oil if butter is unavailable.
- Brown Sugar: A spoonful adds warmth and sweetness. Honey can be used as a substitute.
- Dried Herbs: Oregano, thyme, and rosemary are used for flavor. Feel free to use any dried herbs you have available.
- Salt and Black Pepper: To taste.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice to brighten the dish. If not available, a dash of vinegar might work as a substitute for acidity, though the flavor profile will change.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: For garnish. If not available, other fresh herbs like dill or chives could also complement the salmon well.
How to Bake Salmon
There are two steps to making this recipe, but both of them are super easy! First, you will make the garlic butter sauce, then you’ll add it to the salmon and bake everything together. Cooking salmon this way ensures a juicy and flavorful dinner that’s sure to be a hit with the entire family.
- Make the Garlic Butter. Place the butter in a small bowl, melt it in the microwave or on the stove in a small saucepan, and then whisk in the brown sugar, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
- Prep. Next, preheat the oven to 400°F, and while it heats, get out a big sheet pan. Lightly grease the pan, arrange the vegetables and salmon fillets skin side down. Rub minced garlic over the fish, and pour the butter mixture over everything. Squeeze lemon juice over as well, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake! Slide that sheet pan into the oven, and let it roast for about 15 minutes, or until the fillets flake easily with a fork.
How Long Do You Bake Salmon?
Salmon is usually done baking in about 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the oven’s temperature. You can tell if it is cooked through when it flakes easily with a fork. But the most reliable and easy way to tell when meat, fish, or poultry is done is just to use a meat thermometer! The safe internal temperature for salmon is 145°F.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Roasting Root Vegetables: If using root vegetables like potatoes or carrots, give them a head start by roasting for 10 minutes before adding the salmon.
- Veggie Variations: Feel free to swap out broccoli for other crisp green veggies like green beans, snap peas, or asparagus, depending on what you have on hand. They cook in the same amount of time as the salmon, making your meal prep seamless.
- Customize Your Dish: You can swap olive oil for butter, honey for brown sugar, or any dried herbs you prefer can be used to make this dish uniquely yours.
- Adjusting for Size and Thickness: Salmon fillets can vary in size and thickness, which might affect cooking time. The salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 145˚F.
- Garlic Butter Sauce: For an extra flavor kick, make more of the garlic butter sauce so you can drizzle some over the fish right before serving.
- Make It Spicy: For those who enjoy a bit of heat, sprinkle a little red pepper flakes over the salmon and veggies before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This is probably the best salmon recipe, and the one thing I really love about it is that everything, including the veggies, is cooked on one sheet pan. That means one less side dish to prepare! But you can also serve this meal with a side of quinoa stuffed tomatoes, Mediterranean rice, or a simple salad, like Jennifer Aniston’s bulgur salad, to round out the meal. I am partial to smashed potatoes myself. Mashed cauliflower would also pair well.
Proper Storage
Place completely cooled leftover garlic butter salmon in an airtight container; close and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can gently reheat the salmon in the oven or in the microwave.
Flavorful Salmon Recipes
- Salmon Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa
- Creamy Pan Seared Salmon Recipe
- Maple Teriyaki Salmon with Veggies
- Sockeye Salmon
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Salmon Patties
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Garlic Butter Baked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salmon And Vegetables
- 4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
- 4 to 6 cups broccoli florets
- 4 cloves garlic,, minced
For the Garlic Butter Sauce
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter,, melted
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and fresh ground pepper,, to taste
- 1 lemon,, halved, divided
- chopped fresh parsley,, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Grease a sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Arrange broccoli florets and salmon fillets on the sheet pan. Rub minced garlic over each fillet. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
- Pour the butter mixture over the salmon and veggies.
- Take half of a lemon and squeeze lemon juice over everything; then, season with salt and pepper.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the internal temperature is 145˚F degrees.
- Remove from oven and garnish with parsley. Serve with lemon slices.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
This was delicious and easy! I’m sharing the recipes with my grown kids!
Really good!!!
Made with asparagus and served with brown jasmine rice- fabulous !
I’m assuming this is best with thawed salmon and not frozen?
Best salmon ever !! Thank you for sharing !
So easy and quick and delicious!!! Thank you for sharing. I usually try to do a 2 week rotation but this may sneak in there a little more often!
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Any way I make this, it comes out great; and it’s so easy. My wife and I were growing tired of salmon, but now we have it at least twice a week: just mix up which veggies I add and it becomes a whole different meal–even put the leftover fish on top of salads for lunch the next day. With the price of food these days, we can still afford ocean-caught salmon, and even if it was previously frozen, it tastes amazing. Note: I always keep fresh-squeezed lemon in the fridge–lasts a few weeks and usually use it up before it goes bad.
That’s great! I’m very glad you and your wife enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This recipe was aahhmazing!!! The perfect sweet, salty and garlicky. I added a dash of crushed red pepper before baking. I served it with lobster ravioli. It will be on my regular rotation! A must try for everyone!
This was delicious and so was the broccoli! Even my husband, who doesn’t like salmon, really liked it.
That’s great to hear! I’m very glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I halved the recipe for two salmon fillets. They were absolutely delicious. Red Lobster would not have been better!