Oven Baked Salmon

This Oven Baked Salmon is brushed with garlic butter, then sprinkled with a delicious brown sugar spice mix for the perfectly baked, flavorful salmon fillet. This is hands-down the best and easiest way to prepare salmon fillet for dinner!

There is nothing quite like a whole 2 pound salmon fillet gracing the dinner table. It’s so easy you can make it basically any night of the week (no need to be intimidated by cooking fish anymore!)… But it’s also so impressive, you can make it for any fish-loving dinner guests and it will be absolutely perfect.

While I do love air frying salmon fillets, the only way to make a whole side is in the oven, and it’s honestly just as easy and probably my favorite way to eat salmon.

I’ve been showing you how I oven bake chicken breast and how I oven bake pork chops last week – now it’s time to go for fish!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Salmon: I highly recommend using a whole salmon fillet with the skin on. It yields the juiciest fish with the most flavor – and the least issues with sticking to the foil, thanks to the skin. You can absolutely use this recipe if you have cut, skinless fillets. Just make sure you watch the baking time VERY closely in order to prevent the salmon from overcooking. And you’ll want to brush your foil with oil or melted butter before adding the salmon to keep it from sticking.
• Melted butter: If you want to avoid butter/dairy, you can easily use olive oil instead. The flavor is not exactly the same, but it is still very delicious when made with olive oil.
• Brown sugar: Feel free to skip the brown sugar if you want to avoid sugar completely. I was resistant to using sugar on my savory proteins for a very long time, but when I finally came around to it… I realized how amazing it tastes. Still, it’s fine to skip it if you must, the flavor and caramelization will just be different. If you only have white sugar, use ½ tablespoon.
• Garlic: If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can use 1 extra teaspoon dried garlic powder.
• Italian seasoning: I love the flavor this adds, but feel free to leave it out or use a different dried herb (oregano is delicious, so is rosemary).

How to bake salmon in the oven

1. Place the salmon on a piece of foil set on a rimmed baking sheet. Fold the sides slightly up around the salmon, to catch any dripping butter. Combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. Brush about half of it over the salmon.

2. Combine the spices, then sprinkle them evenly over the salmon. Drizzle with the remaining garlic butter.

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3. Bake the salmon at 375°F for about 15-20 minutes, depending on your preferred doneness. The fish is done when it flakes easily, but is still glossy/shiny – not dull. See further below for some temperature references.

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I like to sprinkle on some chopped parsley, but you can skip it if you prefer/don’t have the time.

Recipe tips

• I like to stir the garlic into the hot, just-melted butter for the best flavor. I let the butter sit on the counter for 5 minutes to make it cool down a little and get a little thicker in texture to make it easier to brush onto the fish.
• I appreciate that some of you may not want to use aluminium foil, but please know that cleanup can be a real chore if you choose to skip it. You will also potentially lose some of the garlic butter due to more evaporation when it runs all over the baking sheet.
• You can baste the salmon with the garlic butter and juices about halfway through baking. It’s not crucial to the success of the recipe, but it does help the fish to stay more succulent.
• Be careful not to overbake your salmon. Many people say they don’t like fish, and many would probably like it a lot better if they didn’t eat it overcooked. If the flesh flakes easily and looks opaque, you’re good to go. It should still have a shine and look juicy, it should not look dry.

Internal temperature for salmon

The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F minimum for all fish.

However, this is quite high for salmon and if you’re willing to forego this internal temperature recommendation at your own risk, 125°F – 130°F is actually when salmon is the most succulent, while still perfectly flaky. As far as the risk goes… most chefs will cook salmon to 120°F – 125°F and if you order salmon when you eat out, chances are you’ve been eating salmon cooked below 145°F all along.

I usually cook my salmon to 125°F, then let it rest until it reaches 130°F – about 5 minutes. Then I serve it. But please pick a temperature you feel comfortable with, and if you want to cook your salmon to 145°F it will still be perfectly nice. Just make sure you pull it FAST when it reaches the temperature.

I do highly recommend a food thermometer (affiliate link) for controlled cooking. They are cheap and effective, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since I started using one a few years ago. I even use it to check the internal temperature of cake. Well worth the small investment!

Serving ideas

I enjoy this salmon with a side of my instant pot potatoes or mashed potatoes (or instant pot mashed potatoes, ha!)- they’re all done so fast for a speedy dinner all around! You can also serve rice with your salmon if you prefer.

We always add some vegetables, too, but which greatly depend on the season. Sometimes it’s just frozen peas, but sautéed green beans (or air fryer green beans), roasted broccoli (or air fried broccoli) or roasted asparagus (or… you guessed it, air fryer asparagus) are all great choises.

A refreshing Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad, a black bean mango salsa or a chunky avocado salsa go really well with this recipe, too!

More easy salmon recipes

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Printable recipe

Recipe first shared on 01/01/2020. Updated with new photos, new text and updated recipe on 01/09/2022.

Updates to recipe made:

• Easier prep (no searing on stove – it’s not necessary!)
• More seasoning for more flavor
• A little less butter