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Garlic butter baked salmon in no time at all! Start with a simple lemon garlic butter sauce that’s super fancy but also really easy to make. Then we just pour this on top of a filet of salmon and bake in the oven wrapped in foil. The salmon is flakey and tender this way and the garlic butter flavor is out of this world!
GARLIC BUTTER.
I mean, if that’s not convincing enough to make this recipe, let me also mention that my garlic butter baked salmon takes roughly 25 minutes to make from start to finish and requires just a few simple pantry staple ingredients.
When I tell you this recipe is simple, I mean it is really the simplest. If you can combine a few ingredients in a small saucepan and then baste your fish (salmon in our case), you can make today’s recipe. The lemon garlic butter sauce is so delicious; you’re going to want to put on every kind of protein you can think of. And guess what? Clean up is a breeze because we’re wrapping the salmon in foil and tossing it in the oven or the grill!
As a bonus, it’s keto-friendly, gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and so it’s ideal for when you’re serving guests that may have different dietary restrictions.
Making salmon at home doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s one of the easiest things to cook if you bake salmon in foil. This recipe is adapted from one that my mom and I came up with together. We’ve been making it for almost two decades now, and the only thing I did differently here is to mix the lemon and butter and make a sauce beforehand. Before, my mom and I used to brush the salmon with a little oil and drizzle the lemon juice and then sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top. Though it tasted delicious, I find that making the garlic butter sauce and allowing the garlic to simmer with the lemon juice makes a more flavorful and slightly thicker sauce that won’t run down the sides as much as the drizzle-on-top sauce does.
Also, in the summertime, we just place the salmon in foil on a hot grill that’s at around 375ºF. And it’ll cook up in about the same time, give or take a minute or two. Barbecued garlic butter salmon is sooo good.
Ingredients for garlic butter baked salmon
The best part is, this whole recipe calls for less than ten ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to make it.
- large salmon filet
- lemon juice
- minced garlic
- butter
- seasonings (red pepper flakes + Italian seasoning)
- salt + pepper
How to make the best salmon in foil
- Start by heating the lemon juice, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and the red pepper flakes together in a small saucepan. Let the lemon juice reduce by half, so you’re left with one tablespoon.
- Add one tablespoon of cold, cubed butter at a time and let it melt into the saucepan. Grab the handle and swirl; it melts so quickly this way. Repeat with remaining butter. Add salt and pepper and stir. DONE.
- Place the salmon on a large piece of foil, one large enough to wrap the entire salmon filet in. Slowly drizzle the sauce over the salmon using a spoon. Cover the salmon with foil so that all the sides are properly closed and the sauce doesn’t leak out.
- Bake. This amount of time works for most recipes, however, if your filet is super thin, check closer to the 10-minute mark. If it’s very thick, check around 14-16 minutes. Remember, we’re going to broil it for the last couple of minutes, so you don’t want it to be completely cooked when you check on it.
Can I use garlic butter sauce on other types of fish?
Sure, you can! You can marinate raw shrimp in this sauce for 10 minutes and then cook the shrimp in a hot skillet. You could also use this with tilapia, cod, or mahi mahi. Just remember that the baking time for various types of fish will vary depending on the fish and the thickness of the filet!
Why this recipe works
- My biggest tip for this baked salmon in foil recipe is to use good quality salmon. I find wild-caught salmon works best. Pink salmon or ‘farm-raised salmon’ sometimes leaves the fish wet and gross, because, let’s face it, we’re steaming it in foil. I encourage you to use Sockeye or Coho salmon if you can find it.
- It is straightforward to make and perfect for those that might be at a beginner level for cooking fish. There’s so flipping, sautéing, or any other fancy techniques required. It also happens to be the perfect 20-minute meal for when you need dinner on the table in a heartbeat.
- The sauce holds together because we add in butter slowly to emulsify the sauce. Try not to rush this step, you need this to happen slowly.
Garlic Butter Baked Salmon in Foil
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pound sockeye or coho salmon preferably wild-caught
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons butter cold, cubed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. (see notes)
- SAUCE: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the lemon juice and minced garlic, allow the lemon juice to reduce to 1 tablespoon. Add in 1 tablespoon of butter, remove pan from heat and swirl so the butter starts to melt. Place back on the heat for a few seconds, removed and continue to swirl until butter completely melts. Repeat with second tablespoon of butter. When butter is completely melted, add the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Then, remove sauce from stove.
- BAKE: Place the salmon filet in a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. Using a brush or spoon, brush the salmon with the garlic butter sauce. Cover with foil so that all sides are properly closed so the sauce does not leak. Bake the salmon for 12-14 minutes or until mostly firm to the touch. Open the foil and allow the fish to broil under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, keeping an eye on it so the fish does not burn. Remove from oven, top with parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Baking time may vary slightly due to thickness of fish. Feel for firmness on the thickest part of the filet to make sure your fish is cooked through.
- I suggest using a good quality salmon for this recipe. Try to avoid using ‘pink salmon’ as this type of salmon is quite watery and will release lots of water in the baking process causing the fish to be wet and not flakey.
- The salmon can also be wrapped in foil and barbecued at 375º-400ºF for about the same amount of time give or take a minute or two. Allow the salmon to ‘broil’ the same way you would in the oven, by opening the foil and allow the fish to dry out for just 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Turned out great !
Easy and tastes great, added a little dill for garnish on half, also great.
This was amazing. My partner, who doesn’t really like salmon, loved this. Kid enjoyed it as well. Will definitely be making this again.
This is my second time using this recipe. This time I did it from frozen Coho salmon. I didn’t even use a thermometer. After about fifteen minutes I touched the center and it was still a little cold, I repeated that until it felt hot, maybe five more minutes. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe. It tastes like salmon should very flavorful and is moist. My wife loves salmon cooked this way.
Cooking time definitely needs ammending, only used 400g of salmon and it took an extra 10 minutes
On repeat. We absolutely love the simplicity of this technique. I definitely shortcut the sauce by throwing it in the microwave. About to use dried chives for the first time as the herb and I’m pretty excited about it!
Can I slice pink salmon in 1inch pieces an add vegetable medley w/ the same foil bake ingredients you described ?
Omg, this is my family’s FAVORITE recipe. My husband can (and has) eat two pounds by himself!
I like to double the sauce and use it to pour over rice, salmon, and cooked carrots (a “salmon bowl”).
My only tip is to make sure you put the salmon skin-side UP in the foil so that the skin gets nice and crispy during broiling. (Now I’m hungry again!)
I am a family of 2. How would I adjust this recipe for 2, 4 to 6 oz salmon fillets.
It sounds delicious. Always looking for ways to cook this wonderful fish.
I ALWAYS double+ the sauce, no matter the amount of fish I prepare, so that there’s plenty to pour over whatever starch I serve with it (rice is great).
For a dairy free version I’ve been using coconut oil instead of butter and its amazing! Everyone I’ve baked this for absolutely loves it!
Cooked fish according to your recipe. It is very tasty, especially the sauce I liked. I advise everyone to cook!
Made this last night, exactly as written…delicious and simple!
For people whose fish took longer. You may be putting cold fish into the oven. With all food you plan on baking let it come to room temperature for recipe time and temp to be accurate.
I don’t like salmon but now I have to eat it three times a week. This did the trick for me. It was very good!! Thank you so much. The only thing I will omitting is the Italian seasonings. Hopefully in a short time I will be able to tolerate the fish better. Thanks again.
This looks amazing, can I store them in a container and make this as a meal prep though?
Yes, you can actually portion out the salmon before baking if you’d like and it’ll last just fine for meal prep through the week.
I made this for my significant other last night (his favorite fish) for our 2 year anniversary. I don’t eat Salmon but he said it was DELICIOUS! By the sounds he was making while he ate it I’d say he was impressed and a definitely keeper!
Delicious! I’ve made it twice now. My new favorite salmon recipe.
How would you double or triple this recipe? And does the red pepper make it spicy? Can I put the asparagus in with the fish or cook separately?
You’d just double or triple all the ingredients. Depending on the size of your salmon filet, you may want to wrap them into a couple of foil packets. I’d suggest roasting the asparagus separately on a baking sheet, steaming them inside the foil packets may make them soggy!
If I’m using frozen salmon, do I need to thaw it first? First time making salmon!
Hi Fatema, yes, in order for the baking times to be accurate and for the fish to cook all the way through, I suggest defrosting the salmon first 🙂
Was yummy!!