Baked Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter (Sheet-Pan Easy, Restaurant-Delicious)

October 6, 2025 by Sophia Green

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Setting the Scene: A Weeknight Glow-Up in 20 Minutes

The oven hums to life, the kitchen lights dim toward evening, and there’s that anticipatory hush that arrives right before something good hits the table. Tonight it’s Baked Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter—the kind of dinner that tastes like a coastal bistro but slides together with weeknight ease. You’ll whisk a quick lemon-garlic butter until it turns glossy and fragrant, brush it over coral-pink fillets, and let the oven do the rest. In the time it takes to set out plates and toss a salad, the salmon turns silky and tender, the edges just-kissed with gold, the air humming with citrus and thyme.

This is an evergreen recipe: elegant enough for guests, unfussy enough for Tuesday. The foil-lined sheet pan means minimal cleanup; the butter baste ensures juicy fish; and the lemon slices caramelize into candied little half-moons you can squeeze and nibble between bites. Serve with crispy potatoes, garlicky green beans, or a tumble of couscous to catch every last drop of pan sauce. It’s dinner with a glow.

What You’ll Need: Ingredients & Tools

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 4 salmon fillets, skin-on, about 5–6 oz (140–170 g) each
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, very finely minced or grated
  • Zest of 1 lemon + 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard (emulsifies and brightens)
  • ½ tsp honey or maple syrup (balances acidity)
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp dried
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced (for roasting)
  • Optional sides for the same pan: 8 oz (225 g) trimmed green beans or asparagus, tossed with 1 tsp oil and a pinch of salt

Tools

  • Rimmed sheet pan lined with foil or parchment
  • Small bowl and whisk
  • Paper towels for drying fish
  • Silicone brush or spoon for basting
  • Instant-read thermometer (helpful for doneness)
  • Thin spatula or fish spatula
35 lemon garlic baked salmon

How to Make It: Oven-Roasted Salmon That’s Silky, Bright & Buttery

Prep the Pan & Whisk the Liquid Sunshine

Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a rimmed sheet pan for easy cleanup. Pat the salmon fillets very dry—moisture is the enemy of browning and can dilute flavor. Arrange the fish skin-side down, leaving a little space between pieces. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and all the pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk melted butter, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, Dijon, honey, thyme, and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. The mixture should smell like a seaside breeze with a garlicky wink—bright, buttery, and a bit floral from the thyme. Taste a dot. You want a little zing; add a pinch of salt if needed. Slide lemon slices around (and a few on) the fillets, and if you’re roasting green beans or asparagus, scatter them in open spaces with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt.

Brush & Bake: Gentle Heat for Juicy Fish

Brush half the lemon-garlic butter over the salmon, letting it pool slightly at the edges so it bastes during roasting. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake 8–10 minutes. Pull the pan, baste with the remaining butter, and return to the oven for 2–4 minutes more, depending on thickness. For perfectly medium, aim for 120–125°F (49–52°C) in the thickest part; the temperature will rise a few degrees as it rests. The surface should look opaque with the faintest translucent blush in the center, and flakes should separate with a gentle nudge of a fork.

If you like a touch more color, switch to broil for the final 1 minute, keeping a close eye so the garlic doesn’t scorch. The lemon slices will blister and caramelize at the edges—a sweet-tart bonus.

Rest, Sauce & Serve: The Finishing Flourish

Let the salmon rest on the pan 3 minutes—this brief pause keeps juices where they belong. Spoon the pan juices over the top (they’ve mingled into a silky lemon butter sauce), shower with the remaining parsley, and finish with a squeeze from the roasted lemon slices. Slide a thin spatula between skin and flesh to lift each fillet cleanly; the skin stays behind, crisp and easy to remove, or serve skin-on if you love that shattery bite.

Pile the salmon on warmed plates with your roasted veg, rice, or potatoes. A final grind of black pepper and a pinch of flaky sea salt make the flavors pop. Dinner is ready, gleaming and aromatic, in under 20 minutes.

Creative Twists: Make It Your Signature

  • Herb Garden Swap: Replace thyme with a mix of dill and chives; add a spoonful of capers to the pan for briny pops.
  • Garlic-Lime & Chili: Trade lemon for lime, add ½ tsp chili flakes or a squeeze of sriracha to the butter for a gentle kick. Serve with cilantro and quick pickled red onions.
  • Brown Butter Upgrade: Cook the butter until nutty and amber before whisking with oil and lemon; the hazelnut aroma with salmon is unforgettable.
  • Maple-Mustard Sheet Pan: Increase honey to 1 tbsp and Dijon to 2 tsp; add quartered baby potatoes to the pan (start them 15 minutes early), then tuck salmon in for the final 12 minutes.
  • Mediterranean Bake: Add cherry tomatoes, olives, and thin red onion slices to the pan. Finish with crumbled feta and oregano instead of parsley.
  • Garlic Butter Panko: Mix ½ cup panko with 1 tbsp melted butter and a pinch of salt; press lightly onto fillets after the first baste and bake until golden for a delicate crunch.
  • Dairy-Free Version: Swap butter for 3 tbsp olive oil; add 1 extra tsp Dijon for body and brightness.
  • Grill or Air Fry: Air fry at 390°F (200°C) 7–9 minutes; for grilling, use a foil tray and the same butter mixture, lid down, 8–10 minutes.

Nutritional Spotlight (Per serving, without optional sides)

NutrientAmount
Calories~360 kcal
Protein~34 g
Carbohydrates~2 g
Fat~24 g
Saturated Fat~7 g
Omega-3s (EPA/DHA)Present in salmon
Sodium~520 mg (with 1 tsp kosher salt split)
Vitamin DNaturally high in salmon

Baked salmon brings heart-healthy omega-3s and high-quality protein; the lemon-garlic butter adds flavor so you can keep portions modest and still feel indulged.

Final Inspiration: A Little Luxury, Any Night

There’s a moment when you pull this pan from the oven—the lemon slices glossy, the salmon softly shimmering—when dinner feels less like a task and more like an occasion. Baked Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter is that rare intersection of simple and special, the kind of recipe you can memorize and riff on forever. Keep fillets in the freezer, lemons in the fruit bowl, and butter in the door; with those three, you’re a quarter-hour from something generous and satisfying.

Set the pan in the center of the table and let everyone serve themselves, spooning the sunny sauce over rice or roasted veg. It’s bright, buttery, and just a little bit glamorous—the perfect weeknight ritual that tastes like a mini getaway to the coast.Réflexion en cours

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Baked Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter (Sheet-Pan Easy, Restaurant-Delicious)

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