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Baked Salmon · Lemon Butter

Lemon Butter Baked Salmon

Tender, flaky salmon baked under a garlicky lemon butter in about 20 minutes. It's the easiest way to start cooking fish at home.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
8 min
Cook
14 min
Total
22 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
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Ingredients

  • 4 salmon fillets, about 6 oz each, skin on or off
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
    Swaps for unsalted butter

    Instead of butter

    • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
    • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
    • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

    All 4 swaps for butter

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    Swaps for garlic

    Instead of garlic

    • Garlic powder: ⅛ tsp for each clove. Mellower and sweeter, with no bite.
    • Jarred minced garlic: ½ tsp for each clove. Milder and slightly sour from the preserving liquid.

    More for garlic

  • 1 lemon, half juiced, half thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
    Swaps for lemon zest

    Instead of citrus zest

    • Another citrus zest: The same amount. A different citrus aroma; any of them brightens a dish.
    • Dried citrus peel: 1 tsp dried for each 1 tbsp fresh zest. Milder and a little bitter.
    • Lemon or orange extract: About ¼ tsp extract for each 1 tsp zest, to taste. Strong citrus flavor, no texture.

    More for citrus zest

  • 1 tbsp fresh dill or parsley, chopped

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Cook to 145°F inside (check with a thermometer).

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and
    line (how to line a pan) Line a pan Cover the bottom (and sometimes sides) of a pan with parchment or foil so food doesn't stick and lifts out easily. 1. For a sheet pan, tear parchment the size of the pan and lay it flat.2. For a round cake pan, trace the bottom on parchment, cut the circle out and press it in.3. For brownies and bars, leave two long sides hanging over to make handles (a "sling").4. A little grease under the paper holds it in place. Done when: The paper lies flat with no folds where the batter could run under it. How to line a baking pan with parchment: mistakes to avoid
    a sheet pan with parchment.
    400°F
  2. Pat the salmon dry and set it on the pan, skin side down, with space between the fillets.
    Season (how to season to taste) Season to taste Add salt (and pepper or acid) bit by bit, tasting as you go, until the food tastes fully of itself. 1. Season meat and vegetables before cooking, holding the salt high so it falls evenly.2. Taste the dish near the end with a clean spoon.3. If it tastes flat, add a pinch of salt, stir and taste again.4. If it tastes heavy or dull, a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar brightens it.5. Stop when another pinch wouldn't make it better. Done when: The flavors are clear and bright, not flat and not salty. Safety: Don't taste dishes that hold raw meat, poultry or eggs; season them by the recipe's amounts and adjust after cooking.How to season to taste: mistakes to avoid
    with salt and pepper.
  3. Stir the melted butter with the garlic, lemon juice and zest. Spoon it over the salmon and lay a lemon slice on each fillet.
  4. Bake until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Thinner fillets finish sooner.
    400°F⏱ Bake: 13 min
  5. Spoon the buttery pan juices over the top and sprinkle with dill.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

  • If the fillets have skin, the cooked flesh slides right off it when you lift with a spatula.
  • Frozen fillets work: thaw them overnight in the fridge, then pat very dry.

Storage

Refrigerate within 2 hours, up to 2 days. Enjoy cold over salad or flake into pasta.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: lemons (December to April).

Quick answers

What can I swap?
  • Instead of butter: Salted butter.
  • Instead of garlic: Garlic powder, ⅛ tsp for each clove.

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
440
Protein
35 g
Carbohydrates
2 g
Fiber
<1 g
Sugars
0 g
Fat
32 g
Saturated fat
11 g
Sodium
430 mg

Whole recipe, 4 servings: about 1,750 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 8 of 8 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 4 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Estimated cost

About $4.65 a serving

About $18.50 for the recipe as written (4 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 4 of 8 ingredients, 99% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • salmon fillets $17.50 ERS
  • lemon $0.60 ERS
  • unsalted butter $0.35 BLS
  • garlic $0.05 ERS

Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): kosher salt, black pepper, lemon zest, fresh dill or parsley.

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

Goes well with

Picked by our pairing rules: the same kind of kitchen, room in the oven and on the stove, ready in time, and a balance of starch, vegetables and richness.

  • Side Garlic Parmesan Knots 2 hr 20 min Shares the 400°F oven with the baked salmon. Make it ahead: it keeps. Brings the starch the baked salmon doesn't have.
  • Side Lemon Almond Green Beans 22 min Cooks on the stove while the baked salmon is in the oven. Ready in 22 min, inside the main's 22 min. Brings the vegetables the baked salmon doesn't have.
  • Dessert Raspberry Oat Crumble Bars 3 hr 5 min Light and fruity after a rich main. Make it ahead, so it's ready when dinner is.

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Cleanup score 5/5 (very easy cleanup): 1 thing to wash, sheet pan. More sheet-pan recipes.

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