Baked Lemon Butter Salmon in a Convection Oven

Melt in your mouth Baked Lemon Butter Salmon is ready in minutes in the convection oven. Tender and loaded with the great flavors of lemon, butter, and garlic.

Jump To:

• 👨‍🍳How to Bake Lemon Butter Salmon
• 🐟The Salmon
• 🌡️Oven Temperature
• ⏰How long to cook, and when is the salmon done?
• Cooking Frozen Salmon
• ✔️Tips
• ❓FAQs
• 🍽️What to serve with baked salmon?
• Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
• 📖 Recipe

This baked salmon recipe will fit well with your healthy diet. It fits well in low-fat, low-calorie, and keto-low-carb diets

People sometimes don't think of salmon to cook at home. But it is simple with just a few ingredients and these easy step-by-step photo instructions.

Salmon is tied with tuna for the most widely consumed fish in the United States. And having an easy go-to salmon recipe is a must for a well-rounded home cook.

Np plank to smoke or anything with aluminum foil is needed for this recipe. I want to taste the salmon and not spend all day preparing it. A little lemon, a bit of garlic, and a little butter, and I'm good with lots of things, especially fish.

Try some other easy and healthy fish recipes; check out Baked Blackened Tilapia, Lemon Butter Tilapia, and Parmesan Crusted Tilapia.

👨‍🍳How to Bake Lemon Butter Salmon

1. Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° if you don't have convection.
2. Prep a baking dish with aluminum foil, a rack if available, and coat with PAM cooking spray.
3. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Microwave the butter mixture to melt.
4. Brush both sides of the salmon with the melted butter mixture.
5. Bake until flaky with an internal temp of 145°—about 14-15 minutes.

🐟The Salmon

Wild-caught salmon has a deeper, richer flavor but is significantly more expensive but has a deeper color and a bit more nutrition. The farm-raised version is a good choice and is what most people buy.

You can get salmon skin-on or off. Most believe skin on is a better choice for moisture, and if you have skin on, then seasoning the skin side is useless, and you should cook with the skin side down.

Most will buy whole filets, but this recipe works for smaller pieces since we are cooking to a final internal temperature and not (never) by time alone.

Frozen salmon is commonly available and convenient for a quick dinner. I suggest cooking it still frozen. See the next section.

🌡️Oven Temperature

The suggested temperature is 400° in a convection oven. Or if you don't have convection, then 425° conventional.

You can vary the cooking temperature and still get great results since we are cooking to a final internal temperature, but lower temperatures will tend to dry a bit more.

⏰How long to cook, and when is the salmon done?

Salmon filets will take 12 to 15 minutes to cook to a safe internal temperature of the salmon of 145°F. That is the suggested endpoint of cooking. The fish should be opaque and flake easily.

The time will vary by your salmon, especially the thickness, the pan, and the oven. So pay attention and watch for the final internal temperature of 145°.

Cooking Frozen Salmon

It is relatively simple to cook salmon while still frozen, and some feel it is the best way to avoid drying it too much. The instructions are the same, with one major addition.

Tightly seal the entire tray with foil before going into the oven. This will trap any steam. Cook for about 15 minutes at the suggested temperature, then remove the covering foil.

It will probably take another 8-10 minutes of cooking to reach the required 145° internal temperature. Remember that thickness is a variable with cooking times.

✔️Tips

• Skip the rack if you don't have one—just use a well-oiled pan or parchment paper.
• You can use fresh garlic cloves crushed or minced, but this recipe cooks fast, so the fresh garlic could be a bit "raw." So you probably should cook it a bit ahead of time. I went with just some good powder.
• You can cut the salmon into serving-size pieces before cooking. Cooking time will decrease some. And if you do this, put the thicker pieces on the outer end of the rack and the thinner pieces in the center. That will help even out the cooking.

❓FAQs

🍽️What to serve with baked salmon?

Garnish with some chopped fresh parsley or thyme and a lemon slice. Some fresh dill or other fresh herbs can be added along with more garlic butter or fresh lemon juice.

I like a nice tossed salad but a hot side dish like Roasted Asparagus, easy oven rice, or roasted baby potatoes. Nice quick dinner rolls are also a great addition. But use your favorite side dishes.

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Start with about a 1-pound salmon fillet—preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.

Prep a baking sheet with aluminum foil and a rack. Give it a coat of PAM baking spray. If you don't have a rack, just use the foil and spray.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Microwave the butter mixture until melted (about 20 seconds). Pat dry with paper towels, then brush both sides (skip the skin side of present).

Place on the baking rack.

Bake until flaky with an internal temp of 145°—about 14-15 minutes. But time may vary with the thickness, pan, and oven.

📖 Recipe

Editor's Note: Originally Published February 25, 2013. The text has been re-edited and expanded, the photos updated, and a table of contents added.