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Home » RECIPE » Dinner » How to Bake Perfect Salmon

How to Bake Perfect Salmon

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By: Shinee Published: 4/26/2016Updated: 6/08/2021

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Foolproof method for delicately tender and juicy baked salmon every time! You’ll love the melt-in-your-mouth buttery salmon flakes infused with flavorful pesto sauce.Foolproof method for delicately tender and juicy baked salmon every time! You’ll love the melt-in-your-mouth buttery salmon flakes infused with flavorful pesto sauce.Baked Salmon

Fool-proof method for delicately tender and juicy baked salmon every time! You’ll love melt-in-your-mouth buttery salmon layers infused with flavorful pesto sauce!

Fool-proof method for delicately tender and juicy baked salmon every time! You'll love melt-in-your-mouth buttery salmon layers infused with flavorful pesto sauce!

My goodness, I’m so stoked to share this recipe with you today. Actually, it’s hardly a recipe. It’s too simple to be called a recipe, you know?

It’s more about the method than anything. I learned it from watching yet another Food Network show. The Kitchen, to be exact. Did you notice the trend here? I’ve been kind of obsessed with FN earlier this year when all I did was lounge on the couch with my little guy. I didn’t waste any time, I was learning. 😉

Fool-proof method for delicately tender and juicy baked salmon every time! You'll love melt-in-your-mouth buttery salmon layers infused with flavorful pesto sauce!

Anyway, chef Geoffrey shared this super easy baked salmon recipe one day.

What caught my interest is that instead of baking the salmon fillets at high temp, as I’ve always done, he instructed to bake the fillets at very low temperature, like 250°F I think. He said that way the fish comes out juicy and tender without gross white stuff oozing out of the sides- a sign of overcooking.

Well, since I try to eat fish at least once a week, I had plenty of time to test it out. Very first time I tried this method, I had to extend the cooking time by 10 minutes, then another 10 minutes, and then another. Finally, I got really hungry, increased the heat a bit and cooked for the final 10 minutes.

The salmon turned out buttery soft and juicy, and incredibly flavorful! Imagine all that pesto soaking into the meat during cooking. Gah, it’s so so good!

Now, here’s what I learned. If you like your salmon on rare side, then yeah, 15-20min at 250°F would probably be enough. I, on other hand, prefer my salmon medium well– around 130-140°F internal temp. You see, I don’t have access to sushi-grade fish around here, and I’m guessing most of us use previously frozen salmon that’s better not consumed rare, yes? So, I made some adjustments. I found 300°F is happy medium! It’s fairly low temp and still produces perfectly tender salmon every time without waiting for eternity to cook!

Another quick tip from chef GZ: remove the skin! Otherwise, the skin gets soft and slimy from low-heat-cooking. If you like crispy skin, try pan-frying-method like I’ve shared with my steelhead trout recipe.

Fool-proof method for delicately tender and juicy baked salmon every time! You'll love melt-in-your-mouth buttery salmon layers infused with flavorful pesto sauce!

This’s such a quick and effortless weeknight dinner. Pair it with some steamed veggies, or fried rice, and you’re all set for really delicious, feel-good dinner. Speaking of which, that fried rice you see here will be on the blog on Thursday! So stay tuned!

Fool-proof method for delicately tender and juicy baked salmon every time! You'll love melt-in-your-mouth buttery salmon layers infused with flavorful pesto sauce!

Thanks for reading!

How to Bake Perfect Salmon

Fool-proof method for delicately tender and juicy baked salmon every time! You’ll love melt-in-your-mouth buttery salmon layers infused with flavorful pesto sauce!
5 from 6 votes
serves: 3 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total : 25 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 3 skinless salmon fillets
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons pesto
  • Lemon wedges for serving
Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
  • Line a baking sheet with foil.
  • Drizzle the olive oil all over the prepared baking sheet and evenly sprinkle half of the salt and pepper on the baking sheet.
  • Arrange the salmon fillets over the olive oil and sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper.
  • Spread 1 tablespoon of pesto on each filet.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes. Depending on the thickness of the fish, it’ll take more or less. I prefer to cook the fillets until internal temp reaches around 135°F.
  • Drizzle fresh lemon juice and serve immediately.

Tips & Notes:

For step-by-step photos and additional notes, read the post above.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 342kcal (17%) Carbohydrates: 1g Protein: 34g (68%) Fat: 21g (32%) Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g Monounsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 95mg (32%) Sodium: 603mg (26%) Potassium: 838mg (24%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin A: 372IU (7%) Calcium: 46mg (5%) Iron: 2mg (11%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Author: Shinee
Course:Main Course
Cuisine:American
Diet:Gluten Free
Did you make this?Show me your creation! Tag me @shineshka and hashtag it #sweetandsavorybyshinee!
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  1. Drayton R Magill says

    Posted on 31 March 2022 at 12:45 pm

    5 stars
    Good, but I don’t think you know what “sushi grade” means. At most, it means the fish was flash frozen to kill parasites.

    As someone who likes their salmon on the more medium rare side, don’t worry about it. Raw fish is raw fish and there’s a reason the wild salmon hitting your seafood case was flash-frozen and the farm-raised stuff wasn’t.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 7 April 2022 at 9:19 pm

      Hi, Drayton. So glad you pointed it out here! I’ll have to update this post, which I originally published in 2016. Since then I’ve learned a thing or two about sushi-grade fish. Hehe I talked about it in my Seared Ahi Tuna video recently. Thanks again for your friendly nudge on this. 😉

      Reply
  2. Brittany Funke says

    Posted on 3 July 2020 at 4:51 pm

    5 stars
    My husband and i got a convection oven as a wedding gift this past June and I wanted to try out some Salmon with it. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  3. Jenna says

    Posted on 2 May 2019 at 7:30 pm

    5 stars
    This is so easy and simple, but AMAZING! I’ve tried cooking salmon by baking, grilled, pan fried, in soup…. And this BY FAR was the best and most juiciest salmon ever! I didn’t add pesto, but I did a garlic/lemon/dill/pepper mix on top.
    Don’t know how much of a difference convection oven cooking makes, but I did a one pound, one inch thick piece at 300 degrees convection for 23 minutes and it came out pink, flaky, and sublimely moist! Would definitely recommend and will for sure make again!

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 6 May 2019 at 1:27 pm

      Yay, so happy you love this method, Jenna. I’m convinced that baking salmon low and slow is the best way to bake salmon. 😉 Thank you for your feedback!

      Reply
  4. Michelle says

    Posted on 30 March 2018 at 5:11 pm

    5 stars
    This wa the list melt in your mouth salmon I have ever eaten. So so so good. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 2 April 2018 at 2:02 pm

      Michelle, thank you so much for your feedback! Happy to hear you loved the recipe. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Easy Peasy Life Matters says

    Posted on 2 May 2016 at 12:13 pm

    This sounds so yummy and healthy!! 🙂 Pinned!

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 3 May 2016 at 9:25 am

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  6. handmade by amalia says

    Posted on 29 April 2016 at 10:15 pm

    This is so me. I’m giving it a try and looking forward to the rice.
    Amalia
    xo

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 1 May 2016 at 3:08 pm

      Thanks, Amalia. The fried rice recipe is up on the blog. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

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