Baked Garlic Salmon

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 08/5/21
Tested by
Danielle Centoni
Danielle Centoni
Tested by Danielle Centoni

Danielle is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon.

Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Fresh salmon make a fast, nutritious, and elegant meal. Easy enough for a weeknight meal, our garlic salmon fillets are also special enough for a celebratory dinner. By baking the fish, there is no need to flip the salmon fillets and dinner will be served in 30 minutes. Convenient and delicious, you just need a baking sheet and a few ingredients to sit down to a flaky, juicy, and wonderful piece of fish flavored with garlic, olive oil, and some chopped fresh parsley. A drizzle of lemon juice provides the perfect finishing touch.

If you enjoy seafood, then salmon is a great source of protein. When buying salmon, try to find wild-caught instead of farmed, but if farmed is all that you can get, go for Norwegian salmon, the best quality of farmed salmon you can get. Check on the color of the fish and avoid fillets that seem too orange or red as this is an indication they have been fed with food coloring to make them appear brighter. Your salmon should be pink and lively, but not too much so.

Although salmon goes well with all vegetables, consider serving a vibrant green salad of kale, spinach, or arugula for a beautiful presentation. Add simple baked potatoes or roasted potatoes for a well-rounded dinner. If you want to pair a good bottle of wine with this delicious salmon, go for a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, a type of wine that pairs well with the herb and citrus flavors. For extra oomph, add some fresh herbs that complement the salmon nicely, such as mint, fennel, chives, chervil, tarragon, dill, rosemary, or thyme.

Baked salmon with garlic recipe

The Spruce / Julia Estrada

"For those looking for a quick and easy way to get salmon fillets on the table, this is a great back-pocket recipe. You likely have the ingredients on hand, it comes together fast, requires very little cleanup, and is easy to customize. This is an easy, basic recipe to keep in the repertoire." —Danielle Centoni

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Ingredients

  • 4 (4- to-6-ounce) salmon fillets

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 4 small cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 heaping tablespoon chopped parsley

  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for baked salmon with garlic
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  2. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan or line the pan with foil and lightly oil the foil. Sprinkle the fillets lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Grease baking pan
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  3. In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, parsley, and olive oil. Stir well to incorporate.

    Minced garlic and parsley
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  4. Arrange the salmon fillets in the prepared baking pan and evenly spread the garlic and parsley mixture over.

    Salmon marinade
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  5. Bake the salmon for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fillets register 145 F on an instant-read thermometer or flake easily with a fork.

    Bake salmon
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada 

  6. Drizzle the baked salmon fillets with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

    Salmon
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  7. Serve hot with your favorite sides.

    Baked salmon and garlic
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  8. Enjoy!

Skin Off or Skin On?

When it comes to eating the skin of salmon it all depends on personal preference, as it is edible but not all cooking methods yield the most appealing skin texture. If your salmon fillets have the skin still attached, place them on the baking sheet skin-side down. Once cooked, the skin can be easily removed if you choose not to eat it.


When using a pan to cook the salmon, make it very hot and place the fish skin-side down first, pressing down with a spatula for at least 3 minutes so the skin doesn't shrink back and cooks crispy all the way through. In this case, the crispy skin is a wonderful and flavorful treat.

When Is the Salmon is Properly Cooked?

The US Food and Drug Administration recommends a temperature of 145 F as the minimal inner temperature for doneness in fish. To be sure the salmon is appropriately cooked, check with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a fillet. To check with a fork, insert it into the center of a fillet and twist it slightly; it should easily flake and be opaque, milky white, in color.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
858 Calories
57g Fat
1g Carbs
79g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 858
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 57g 74%
Saturated Fat 10g 52%
Cholesterol 224mg 75%
Sodium 297mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 79g
Vitamin C 16mg 78%
Calcium 61mg 5%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 1386mg 29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)