Baked Lemon Butter Salmon in a Convection Oven

Name: Baked Lemon Butter Salmon
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound salmon fillet; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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Cooking time: 15

Melt in your mouth Baked Lemon Butter Salmon is ready in minutes in the convection oven—tender and loaded with the great flavors of lemon, butter, and garlic.

Ingredients

Salmon fillet
Lemon juice
Butter
Pantry ingredients—garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper

closeup image of salmon flaking on a light gray plate.

Jump To (scroll for more)

Ingredients
👨‍🍳How to Bake Lemon Butter Salmon
⏰How long to cook, and when is the salmon done?
✔️Tips to make it perfect every time
🌡️Oven Temperature
Cooking Still Frozen Salmon
🍽️What to serve with baked salmon?
How to store and reheat leftover baked salmon
❓FAQs
🐟About Salmon
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
📖 Recipe

Featured comment from Lyl:
"Thank you for this oh so simple but oh so yummy recipe! Perfectly moist …"

People sometimes don't think of salmon to cook at home. But it is simple with just a few ingredients and these easy step-by-step photo instructions.

I'm good with lots of things, especially fish, a little lemon, a bit of garlic, and a little butter. No plank to smoke or anything with aluminum foil is needed for this recipe.

This baked salmon recipe will fit well with your healthy diet. It works well in low-fat, low-calorie, and keto-low-carb diets.

Try these easy and healthy baked tilapia recipes; check out the Blackened Tilapia in the Oven, Lemon Butter Tilapia recipe, and Parmesan Crusted Tilapia recipe.

👨‍🍳How to Bake Lemon Butter Salmon

Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° if you don't have convection.
Prep a baking dish witthh aluminum foil, a rack if available, and coat with PAM cooking spray.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Microwave the butter mixture to melt.
Brush both sides of the salmon with the melted butter mixture.
Bake until flaky with an internal temp of 145°—about 14-15 minutes.

This is a summary of the steps and ingredients. See the recipe card or the step-by-step photo instructions below for complete instructions.

⏰How long to cook, and when is the salmon done?

Salmon filets will take 12 to 15 minutes to cook to a safe internal temperature of the salmon of 145°F. That is the suggested endpoint of cooking. The fish should be opaque and flake easily.

The time will vary by your salmon, especially the thickness, the pan, and the oven. So pay attention and watch for the final internal temperature of 145°.

✔️Tips to make it perfect every time

Skip the rack if you don't have one—use a well-oiled pan or parchment paper.
You can use fresh garlic cloves crushed or minced, but this recipe cooks fast, so the fresh garlic could be a bit "raw." So you probably should cook it a bit ahead of time. I went with just some good powder.
You can cut the salmon into serving-size pieces before cooking. Cooking time will decrease some. If you do this, put the thicker pieces on the outer end of the rack and the thinner pieces in the center. That will help even out the cooking.

🌡️Oven Temperature

The suggested temperature is 400° in a convection oven. Or if you don't have convection, then 425° conventional.

You can vary the cooking temperature and still get great results since we are cooking to a final internal temperature, but lower temperatures will tend to dry a bit more.

Cooking Still Frozen Salmon

It is relatively simple to cook salmon while still frozen, and some feel it is the best way to avoid drying it too much. The instructions are the same, with one major addition.

Tightly seal the entire tray with foil before going into the oven. This will trap any steam. Cook for about 15 minutes at the suggested temperature, then remove the covering foil.

It will probably take another 8-10 minutes of cooking to reach the required 145° internal temperature. Remember that thickness is a variable with cooking times.

🍽️What to serve with baked salmon?

Garnish with some chopped fresh parsley or thyme and a lemon slice. Some fresh dill or other fresh herbs can be added along with more garlic butter or fresh lemon juice.

I like a nice tossed salad but a hot side dish like Roasted Asparagus, easy oven rice, or roasted baby potatoes. Nice quick dinner rolls are also a great addition. But use your favorite side dishes.

How to store and reheat leftover baked salmon

Any fish, including salmon, is always better freshly cooked. But sometimes there are leftovers. It is good in the refrigerator for only a day. It will dry out rapidly if you reheat so better cold on salad.

❓FAQs

Is baked salmon healthy?

Yes. It will fit many diets like low-calorie, low-fat, gluten-free, low-carb, and keto diets. The present fats are generally healthier fats that most of us lack adequately in our diet.

Can I use olive oil instead of butter to coat the salmon?

Yes, but you will be happier with the butter taste.

🐟About Salmon

Wild-caught salmon has a deeper, richer flavor but is significantly more expensive. It has a deeper color and a bit more nutrition. The farm-raised version is a good choice and is what most people buy.

You can get salmon skin on or off. Most believe skin on is a better choice for moisture, and if you have skin on, then seasoning the skin side is useless, and you should cook with the skin side down.

Most will buy whole filets, but this recipe works for smaller pieces since we are cooking to a final internal temperature and not (never) by time alone.

Frozen salmon is commonly available and convenient for a quick dinner.

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Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Start with about a 1-pound salmon fillet—preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.

Prep a baking sheet with aluminum foil and a rack. Give it a coat of PAM baking spray. If you don't have a rack, just use the foil and spray.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Microwave the butter mixture until melted (about 20 seconds). Pat dry with paper towels, then brush both sides (skip the skin side).

Place on the baking rack.

Bake until flaky with an internal temp of 145°—about 14-15 minutes. But time may vary with the thickness, pan, and oven.

📖 Recipe

$\salmon flaking on a light gray plate$

Baked Lemon Butter Salmon

From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

Melt in your mouth lemon butter salmon is ready in minutes in the convection oven. Tender and loaded with the great flavors of lemon, butter, and garlic.

4.08 from 133 votes

Rating is now in the comments.

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Servings #/Adjust if desired 4 servings

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Ingredients

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Instructions

Start with about a 1-pound salmon fillet—preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.
Prep a baking sheet with aluminum foil and a rack. Give it a coat of PAM baking spray. If you don't have a rack, just use the foil and spray.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Microwave the butter mixture until melted (about 20 seconds). Then brush both sides of the salmon. Place on the baking rack.
Place on the baking rack.
Bake until flaky with an internal temp of 145°—about 14-15 minutes. But time may vary with the thickness, pan, and oven.

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Recipe Notes

Pro Tips:

If you have skin on your salmon, don't put the butter on the skin and place the skin side down to bake.
Skip the rack if you don't have one. Just use a well-oiled pan or parchment paper.
The safe internal temperature of the salmon is 145°F.
You can use fresh garlic, but this cooks fast, so the fresh garlic could be a bit "raw." You should cook fresh garlic a bit ahead of time.
You can cut the salmon into serving-size pieces before cooking. Cooking time will decrease some. And put the thicker pieces on the outside end of the rack and the thinner pieces in the center. That will help even out the cooking.
Fish is always better freshly cooked. But sometimes there are leftovers. Good in the refrigerator for only a day. It will dry out rapidly if you reheat so better cold on salad.
TIME WARNING. Like many recipes, you should cook to a final internal temperature and not by time. Times are given for planning purposes only. You have variables of the pan and oven, but mostly the size and thickness of the salmon.

Cooking Frozen Salmon

You can cook salmon while still frozen, but you need to modify this recipe a bit.

Tightly seal the entire tray with foil before going into the oven. This will trap any steam. Cook for about 15 minutes at the suggested temperature, and then remove the covering foil.

It will probably take another 8-10 minutes of cooking to reach the required 145° internal temperature. Remember that thickness is a huge variable with cooking times.

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To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories : 187 kcal (9%)Carbohydrates : 1 gProtein : 23 g (46%)Fat : 10 g (15%)Saturated Fat : 5 g (25%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 0.2 gMonounsaturated Fat : 2 gCholesterol : 103 mg (34%)Sodium : 293 mg (12%)Potassium : 3 mgFiber : 0.04 gSugar : 0.01 gVitamin A : 200 IU (4%)Vitamin C : 0.1 mgCalcium : 40 mg (4%)Iron : 0.4 mg (2%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Fish

Cuisine : American

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Editor's Note: Originally Published February 25, 2013. The text has been re-edited and expanded, the photos updated, and a table of contents added.