This Easy Baked Salmon Recipe turns out perfectly every time with yummy salmon marinade ideas like honey garlic, teriyaki and maple dijon!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Salmon fillets – either farmed or wild salmon would work. Keep in mind that farmed salmon is higher in calories.
Teriyaki marinade
- Sesame oil – or another neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or olive oil.
- Low-sodium soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes here.
- Brown sugar – a combination of white sugar and molasses would also work.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic will provide the best flavour but jarred minced garlic can also be used.
- Ginger – fresh minced ginger is best but ground ginger will work in a pinch.
Lemon garlic marinade
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or avocado oil.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but you can also use the bottled variety.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic will provide the best flavour but jarred minced garlic can also be used.
- Parsley – try swapping out for fresh chervil or tarragon instead.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Chili lime marinade
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or avocado oil.
- Sweet chili sauce – a mix of hot sauce and honey will provide a similar flavour.
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed lime juice is best but you can also used the bottled variety.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Maple dijon marinade
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or avocado oil.
- Dijon mustard – stone-ground mustard or spicy brown mustard would be the best substitutes here.
- Maple syrup – honey or agave would also provide some sweetness to this marinade.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Mango salsa
- Mango – try using another fruit like pineapple or peach.
- Red pepper – any colour bell pepper would work here like yellow or orange.
- Red onion – you can use white or yellow onion but it will have a milder flavour.
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed lime juice is best but the bottled variety will work in a pinch.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you don’t like cilantro.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Skip the Ads and Get Right to the Recipes!
- ZERO ADS on over 600 recipes!
- Weekly Meal Plans, Grocery & Prep Lists
- Bonus eBooks
How to make baked salmon
- Preheat the oven.
- Make the marinade.
- Marinate the salmon.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
What type of salmon to buy
You basically have two options when it comes to buying salmon: farmed and wild. Farmed salmon is usually a bit pinker in colour, and it can be fattier while containing more calories per serving than wild salmon. Wild salmon (also labelled sockeye salmon) eat a very different diet than farmed salmon so this type tends to be leaner, lower in calories and more nutritionally dense.
You can read more on the nutritional differences between wild vs farmed salmon here.
Try to choose wild sockeye salmon if your budget allows as this tends to be the better choice flavour-wise and you get more of the nutritional benefits of salmon. You can often find it frozen in bulk, which can help with the higher costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should cook salmon at 375° Fahrenheit. This ensures that it stays nice and moist but is still cooked through.
Knowing how long to bake salmon will ensure that your dish doesn’t come out of the oven undercooked or overcooked. As it cooks, salmon changes from a raw-looking, translucent red colour to an opaque pink. With this recipe, your salmon will be done in 12 minutes – of course, this does depend a bit on your oven, but for the most part, it holds true. Keep in mind that the salmon will cook for a bit longer after you’ve taken it out of the oven.
When you cook salmon in the oven, leaving the skin on is the best way to retain more moisture. On the other hand, some people feel as though the skin changes the taste. I recommend you leave the skin on and then peeling off after baking to ensure that you have moist salmon. If removing the skin, salmon does bake up slightly faster, so I suggest taking it out after 10 minutes instead of 12.
How long to marinate salmon for
Salmon marinade can add a lot of flavour to the fish, especially when you’re baking it. I'm not a giant fan of fish or salmon personally, but these marinades cut the fishy flavour. You'll convert to a fish fan after trying them! The length of time it takes to marinate salmon depends on the salmon marinade recipe you’re using.
- Marinades with acid: marinate the salmon for less than 30 minutes or it will start “cooking” the fish (anything with lemon juice or vinegar will do this).
- Marinades without acid: you can marinate the salmon overnight in the refrigerator, but don’t leave it for longer than a day. Fish tend to start going “mushy” if left to marinate too long.
The Best Salmon Marinade Recipes
Looking for the best marinade for salmon? I rounded up some of my favourite recipes below! Each salmon marinade is super simple and has five ingredients or less – most of which you should already have at home. The best part is that the salmon only needs to marinade for about 15 minutes to soak in all the flavours.
Teriyaki marinade
Lemon garlic marinade
Sweet chili marinade
Honey dijon marinade
Mango salsa marinade
Storing and reheating
If you have any leftovers, gently reheat it the next day. Make sure you go low and slow – fish will dry out from aggressive re-heating. Sprinkle some water over top of the salmon, then place a wet paper towel on top and microwave on low for 1 minute or so. This is the best way to reheat!
You can also take your baked salmon and turn it into something else. Instead of eating the baked salmon the next day as is, why not take a fork, flake it apart and use it in a completely new dish? Try substituting if in place of meat or other fish in recipes:
- Make a salmon salad sandwich
- Add it to pasta
- Toss the salmon flakes into a salad and eat it cold (this way you avoid any fishy taste from overheating)
Freezing this recipe
You can store frozen, raw salmon without losing much quality for 2 to 3 months in a freezer.
Avoid thawing your salmon using heat. Instead, cover it and leave it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. You can leave it in the refrigerator for up to two days before using it.
If you’re pressed for time, place the frozen salmon in a sealed bag and under cold running water until it thaws. (If you do this, you need to cook it the same day.) Before cooking, let it sit for about 15-20 minutes so that it comes closer to room temperature.
Wanna Learn How To Meal Prep?
My meal planning service, Dinner Prep Pro, removes the guesswork and helps you get dinner on the table in 15-20 minutes each night. My meal prep checklists only take 1 hour each week!
More easy marinade recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on meal prepping this baked salmon.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders for easy marinating.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Easiest Baked Salmon Recipe + 5 Marinades
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets
Teriyaki Marinade
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
Lemon Garlic Marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Chili Lime Marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Maple Dijon Marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Mango Salsa
- 1 mango, diced
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Optional Side Dish Ideas
- Sauteed bell peppers
- Roasted broccoli
- Roasted/sauteed zucchini
- Roasted asparagus
- Mixed green salad
- Roasted potatoes
- Rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Mix together marinade of choice (with exception of mango salsa), then add to a large Ziploc bag along with salmon fillets and marinate for 20 minutes.
- Add marinated salmon to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, along with optional veggies of choice. Bake for 12 minutes until salmon is fully cooked and flaky. Serve and enjoy!
- If making mango salsa, add 1 tbsp olive oil to salmon fillets and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes until salmon is fully cooked and flaky. Remove salmon from oven and top with mango salsa – serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Join The Girl on Bloor Premium!
- ZERO ADS!
- Weekly Meal Prep Checklists
- Bonus eBooks
Comments & Reviews
Melinda says
Thank you for this! Picked saved a big slab of salmon from food waste on the FlashFood app and now have it portioned and headed for the freezer for future meals. All ready to go in it’s own delicious marinades! Will heed the info on dwell time in the acidic ones.
Vron says
Hi Taylor
These sound lovely additions for salmon to up the taste from just lemon.
Can these marinades be made up and frozen without the salmon.
Can salmon be added to marinade and frozen before defrosting and cooking.
Thank you for your lovely recipes.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Vron! The marinades can be made and frozen without the salmon for sure. I hesitate to say the salmon can be added to the marinade and frozen because fish is typically more delicate than meat and poultry and may not take to sitting in the marinade for such a long time. However, you could try it! It may work perfectly fine!
michael lachut says
looks like straight forward recipes that are easy to prepare and great to taste