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This easy oven baked salmon recipe is our favorite! The salmon is cooked in a honey, Dijon and garlic glaze and takes just 10 minutes of prep time. This delicious salmon recipe is perfect for a fancy dinner or weeknight meal!

Baked salmon with honey garlic sauce on a plate with broccoli. Easy salmon recipe.

If you’re looking for an easy salmon recipe that your whole family will love, look no further. This is the recipe that I make when I want an easy, healthy dinner that both the kids and adults will enjoy. My kids request this salmon for dinner all the time!

This baked salmon recipe turns out perfect every time. The fish cooks until it’s perfectly moist and flaky. The salmon is smothered in a simple glaze that’s made with just five pantry ingredients. As the salmon cooks in the honey garlic sauce it becomes so flavorful!

This is my go-to recipe for salmon. Try it and you will see why!

Then try one of my other healthy dinner ideas: juicy baked chicken breasts, the best baked pork chops and crispy baked chicken thighs and easy fish tacos. When you want to cook an easy and healthy dinner in your oven, these recipes are perfect!

Baked salmon filet with honey garlic glaze on a pan.

You will love this easy salmon recipe because:

  • It is so simple and easy to make! There’s very little prep for this recipe. Ten minutes, tops. This salmon recipe is a 30 minute meal, start to finish.
  • The sauce is made with just a few ingredients, and it gives the salmon the best flavor!
  • There is virtually no clean up. Line your baking dish with parchment paper or foil and clean up is a breeze.

Pouring honey garlic sauce on a salmon filet.

How to Cook Salmon

Making this salmon recipe is easy. I’ll walk you through how to cook salmon, and I’ll give you my tips for making the best tender and flavorful baked salmon.

  1. Choose wild caught salmon. For the best quality and sustainability, choose wild caught salmon. The salmon should have shiny skin and the flesh should look moist and vibrantly colored. Fresh salmon shouldn’t smell overly fishy.
  2. Let salmon come to room temperature. Take your salmon out of the refrigerator when you are ready to get started with this recipe. While you prepare the other ingredients, the fish will begin to come to room temperature. This helps the salmon to cook evenly.
  3. Line the baking dish for easy cleanup. You can use either parchment paper or foil to line your baking dish.
  4. Make a simple glaze. The glaze adds both flavor and moisture to the salmon. For the glaze you will need olive oil, soy sauce, honey, Dijon mustard and garlic. If you prefer a dry rub seasoning, I highly recommend this Salmon Seasoning recipe.
  5. Cook salmon as a whole fillet, with the skin on. Leaving your salmon fillet whole and then cutting it into slices after baking will help the salmon to cook evenly. Cooking salmon with the skin on helps to keep it moist. You’ll bake your salmon with the skin side down. You can easily remove the skin after cooking if you wish. To do this, use a thin metal spatula or knife to separate the skin from the baked salmon flesh.
  6. Brush salmon with glaze a second time. You’ll brush about 2/3 of the sauce on the salmon before it bakes. Then, when the salmon is almost cooked through, brush on the remaining glaze and bake a few minutes more.
  7. Don’t overcook your salmon. Perfectly cooked salmon will be tender, moist and flaky. If you overcook salmon it can dry out easily. The FDA recommends cooking salmon to 145 degrees F. To check the temperature of your salmon, insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the fish. Salmon can go from almost done to overcooked very quickly, so watch it carefully during the last few minutes of baking time. The salmon will continue to cook a bit more after you remove it from the oven, so you can remove it when it is 140 degrees if you wish.

How Long to Bake Salmon in the Oven

The exact baking time will depend on the thickness of your salmon fillet. A one pound salmon fillet will take about 12-20 minutes to cook in the oven, at 400 degrees F. Begin checking on your salmon early and then you can always cook it more if it’s not done.

What to Serve with this Salmon Recipe

I like to serve a vegetable and a starch with this baked salmon. Some options for the veggie are roasted broccoli, air fryer asparagus, green beans or a spinach salad. Instant Pot mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, Instant Pot baked potatoes, air fryer baked potatoes or brown rice are also perfect side dishes for salmon. 

More Salmon Recipes

Close up of honey garlic baked salmon recipe.

baked salmon served with broccoli
5 from 24 ratings

Favorite Easy Oven Baked Salmon

Servings: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
This easy oven baked salmon recipe is our favorite! The salmon is cooked in a honey, Dijon and garlic glaze and takes just 10 minutes of prep time. This delicious salmon recipe is perfect for a fancy dinner or weeknight meal!

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pound salmon fillet, skin on
  • 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions
 

  • Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or 9x13-inch baking dish with foil (for easy clean up).
  • In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, olive oil, honey, Dijon and minced garlic.
  • Place salmon, skin side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Reserve ⅓ of the sauce in a clean dish and spoon/brush the remaining ⅔ of the sauce over the salmon.
  • Bake for 15 minutes and then brush on the remaining sauce. Bake 2-5 minutes more, until internal temperature of the fish reaches 145° F on an instant read thermometer, or salmon is cooked to your desired doneness. Serve.

Notes

  • You can also cook the salmon cut into 4 individual fillets instead of one large piece. Individual fillets will cook through faster, so start checking on them after 12 minutes in the oven.
Serving: 6ounces salmon, Calories: 347kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 549mg, Potassium: 893mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 71IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Course: Main Course
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