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Sometimes I dream up these crazy, 736 ingredient recipes and then realize that ain’t nobody got time to make that, myself included! So then my decent back to reality begins and I realize that the simplest of recipes are actually my favorite and are probably your favorites too!
One of those simple favorites is my Everyday Easy Baked Lemon Garlic Salmon. It takes virtually zero prep time other than fighting the foil into submission when creating the foil packet the salmon will go into!
I enjoy this recipe and salmon cooking method because it takes the emphasis out of having to just focus the whole meal around the salmon. It’s so simple to make, you can do it a couple times a week so you can have some salmon for dinner, a little bit to top salads with and maybe even some left over to feed your 6 month old! Ha- for hilarious food taste-testing videos, be sure to follow me on Instagram @cookithealthy.
A few fun facts that I have learned about salmon:
-wild caught salmon is a leaner cut of salmon, but it dries out VERY quickly
-farm raised salmon is less pink and that’s the way it should be. If you see super pink salmon and it isn’t wild caught, then coloring has been added
-I prefer one large filet over multiple filets as I feel they stay more juicy when cooking
-Salmon is a super good fat for your brain, eyes and overall health, so eat it weekly, but try to be a conscious consumer about where you buy salmon from and how it was raised/caught/fed
How can I not over-cook my salmon
Now, if you’re like me, you maybe always felt like salmon always turned out dry or you didn’t know when it was done. Despite my several years as a waitress at Red Lobster (that’s a whole blog post in and of itself…) I never knew the details on how they cooked the fish. I just knew the methods- broil, grill, cedar plank or baked.
If your experience is with dry salmon, then i’m here to tell you the foil will save the day. By sealing the salmon in the foil packet, you’re locking in the moisture while it bakes. This is literally the ONLY way I can cook wild caught salmon and feel like it is not totally dry. Again, since wild caught salmon is the leanest version of salmon you can buy, it has the tendency to dry out more than a farm raised salmon. So, just play around with the type of salmon and cooking times. I like to do 5 minute increments if you need to adjust the cook time. Start off with the 30 minutes, check it and then pop it back in for another 5 if you feel like it isn’t done to your liking.
Now, when the salmon is done, it should flake and should hold its shape but not be firm. It should look like the below photo when you chunk off a piece.
Just look at all those yummy juices in the bottom of the foil! The salmon cooks in all that moisture and so it doesn’t leave it to dry out like jerky.
For this dinner, I also threw on some baby new potatoes to the baking sheet, drizzled them with a little white truffle oil, salt & pepper and roasted them right along with the salmon packet. Once the salmon was done, I popped the potatoes back in for another 10 minutes until they were golden and crispy on the outside like you see in the picture above! One pan, one meal = a win for me!
AuthorAshleyDifficultyBeginner
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
On a quarter baking sheet, lay out a large piece of foil. Set your salmon on the foil skin side first. Drizzle the fish with the olive oil and rub it in all over the fish with the backside of a spoon. Then sprinkle on all the seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic and paprika). Next, take 2 - 3 slices of fresh lemon and lay them on top of the fish. Squeeze the remaining part of the lemon onto the fish for some extra lemon juices to add moisture in the foil packet.
Finally, close up the foil around the fish into a little packet to lock in all the moisture.
If you're going to add on the baby new potatoes, quarter or halve each one and sprinkle all around the salmon foil packet on the pan. Drizzle the white truffle oil and season with the garlic salt and then you're ready to pop it all into the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes and then check the salmon. If it flakes and is a light pink, then it's done! Remove it off the baking sheet and set aside somewhere that no more heat will get to it while you finish up the potatoes. Then pop the baby new potatoes back in the oven for another 10 minutes until golden and slightly crispy on the outside.
Ingredients
Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
On a quarter baking sheet, lay out a large piece of foil. Set your salmon on the foil skin side first. Drizzle the fish with the olive oil and rub it in all over the fish with the backside of a spoon. Then sprinkle on all the seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic and paprika). Next, take 2 - 3 slices of fresh lemon and lay them on top of the fish. Squeeze the remaining part of the lemon onto the fish for some extra lemon juices to add moisture in the foil packet.
Finally, close up the foil around the fish into a little packet to lock in all the moisture.
If you're going to add on the baby new potatoes, quarter or halve each one and sprinkle all around the salmon foil packet on the pan. Drizzle the white truffle oil and season with the garlic salt and then you're ready to pop it all into the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes and then check the salmon. If it flakes and is a light pink, then it's done! Remove it off the baking sheet and set aside somewhere that no more heat will get to it while you finish up the potatoes. Then pop the baby new potatoes back in the oven for another 10 minutes until golden and slightly crispy on the outside.
I am making this! It looks easy and so delicious. And the foil comment made me laugh, it’s so true!