If you asked me what the best baked salmon in the world is then it would have to be this baked salmon in foil recipe. This recipe will take the guess out of what to make for dinner as it is easy, fast, and delicious. The fish It is bursting with flavour from fresh garlic, butter, lemon and herbs!
It is perfect for a weeknight dinner and even better for a dinner party because you will surely wow your guest. The fish marinade or should I say the sauce is out of this world, heavenly is an understatement. Delicious!!! Serve with couscous or mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus.
Garlic butter Baked salmon in foil recipe
Salmon like any other type of fish is one of the easiest meals you can whip up on a very busy weeknight. This recipe is super easy and it only takes about 30 minutes to come together. Fish doesn’t take long to cook and that is one of the reasons why I love making it.
I am slowly building my seafood repertoire for the blog, most times. I can’t wait to share them with you. Currently, on the blog I have honey garlic salmon, it is one of my favourite way of cooking salmon and this super easy instant pot cod. It is the summer season and I have no excuse but to deliver with the best baked or grilled fish recipe you will all love.
I incorporate fish into our weekly meals and we eat fish at least twice a week either as part of our breakfast or dinner. Salmon is high in protein and rich in omega 3 Fatty acid and a good source of potassium.
love salmon, then try my creamy Tuscan salmon and parmesan crusted salmon recipes or check my collections of easy salmon recipes you will love.
Why this recipe is so good and fool proof
Salmon baked in a foil packet means less cleaning up to do. In fact, you want to be extra like me, I line the baking tray before placing the fish foil packet on it. Fewer dishes to do with this recipe with no leakage from the fish sauce. If you want to super extra 😃, serve this dish directly in the foil.
The fish fillet is individually wrapped in a foil packet and then doused with the garlic butter marinade, that way the fish doesn’t dry out and all the flavours are locked in which will result to the best juicy delicious tasting baked salmon ever.
This recipe uses 6 main cupboard staple ingredients and requires minimal prep, what is not to love. I used dried herbs dill and parsley and they worked a treat.
The only hard work in making this 20 minute dinner recipe is mincing the garlic which will only take you about 1 minute to do if you own a garlic presser or grater.
Salmon is healthy fish: it is low carb and keto-friendly too. 100g gram of cooked salmon contains about 232 calories, it is also high in protein, salmon if eaten in moderation is definitely good for your general wellbeing.
The marinade use on the fish is so good and can be used on any other type of fish too. It is definitely a keeper, I love garlic butter on everything!
Ingredients (Garlic butter fish marinade)
Boneless salmon fillet: you can use a whole salmon fillet for this recipe if you would prefer.
Melted butter: This is a must for the recipe but in the absent of this, I would say you use light olive oil.
Fresh garlic cloves
Lemon juice
Dried parsley
Dried dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Red pepper flakes: I love my fish having a bit of a kick to it, feel free to omit this ingredient if you are fine with black pepper.
Kitchen tools
Aluminium Foil (tin foil) or parchment paper
Tweezer to remove visible bones off the fish fillet
How to make baked salmon in foil
Preheat the oven to 400F/200C
Season the salmon with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
To the melted butter, add minced garlic, dried parsley, dried dill, red chili flakes and mix to combine.
Place the salmon skin side down on an aluminium foil large enough to wrap the salmon (you can double the foil to avoid leakage unto the tray)
Drizzle the garlic butter sauce on top of the salmon making sure it is well covered. Finally, squeeze some lemon juice on top of the fish about two teaspoons
Wrap the fish with the foil by folding the longest part over once another to make a long rectangle the fold the ends of the foil to cover the fish.
Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. The thickness of my salmon is 1.5 inch. Take the fish out of the oven once it is done and carefully open the foil so the steam can escape
This last step is optional: broil (grill) the salmon for another 3 minutes for crispy topping. Serve immediately with other mains of choice.
How do you when your salmon is done or cooked
Cooked salmon is pink and opaque when done, it should also flake easily when you use a fork or knife to test it.
If you are still not sure, insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the salmon and the internal temperature should read about 145F/62C.
What temperature to bake this recipe on
You can bake this salmon in foil in the at different temperature you like but cooking time would vary. Lower temperature means longer time for the fish to cook while high temperature may result in overcooking the fish.
At 375F/180C bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes
At 350F/175C bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
How to serve baked salmon in foil
One of the reasons I love this recipe is that the sauce from the cooked salmon goes perfectly well with plain rice like this coconut rice or plain basmati rice and brown rice for a healthier option. Not a fan of rice, serve this recipe with this creamy pasta salad.
I also love it on creamy mashed potatoes or some cubed roasted potatoes. If you fancy more sauce on your fish, you can easily whip up this homemade parsley sauce. It is creamy and delicious
It is important you don’t let that delicious sauce go to waste. You may even pour over steamed veggies as well like this instant pot steamed carrots or roasted broccoli and cauliflower.
How to store baked salmon and how to use leftovers
Baked salmon would stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container or clingfilm. Do not store in a foil or Ziploc bag as that can make the salmon go bad quickly.
I love making a salad with leftover salmon or adding it to make omelettes for breakfast of adding it to make this delicious instant pot frittata
FAQs
Can I bake salmon with vegetables: yes, you can bake your salmon in the same foil along with your veggies of choice like asparagus, broccoli, zuchinni. Make sure your choice of vegetable will cook as the same time as the fish so as to not overcook the fish.
Can I bake salmon with lemon slices: absolutely, yes you can and you may even substitute the lemon slices with orange slices
How do I make garlic butter salmon with this recipe: I used garlic butter sauce for the fish but you can adjust the garlic to suit your taste. To make it more garlicky, add more garlic.
Can I add honey or brown sugar to this recipe: yes, you can as it add a little bit of sweetness to the dish. You also add soy sauce for umami flavour
Other recipes on the blog you would love
If you made this easy salmon in foil recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback and rate it 5 stars. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox
Baked Salmon in A Foil Recipe
Equipment
- Aluminium Foil (tin foil) or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 4 x 170g (1.5lb) boneless salmon fillet
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 large fresh garlic cloves minced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C
- Season the salmon with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
- to the melted butter, add minced garlic, dried parsley, dried dill, red chili flakes and mix to combine.
- Place the salmon skin side down on an aluminium foil large enough to wrap the salmon (you can double the foil to avoid leakage unto the tray)
- Drizzle the garlic butter sauce on top of the salmon making sure it is well covered. Finally, squeeze some lemon juice on top of the fish about two teaspoons
- Wrap the fish with the foil by folding the longest part over once another to make a long rectangle the fold the ends of the foil to cover the fish.
- Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. The thickness of my salmon is 1.5 inch. Take the fish out of the oven once it is done and carefully open the foil so the steam can escape
- This last step is optional: broil (grill) the salmon for another 3 minutes for crispy topping. Serve immediately with other mains of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
Ioana says
Delicious and very easy to do.
The cooking time in the foil is really depending on the fish, but it's a great recipe and thanks Ajoke for posting the cooking info in both °C/°F (very very practical!)
Mouth melting, love goes through the stomach. And my loved one loved it too :)!
Ajoke says
Thank you, Loana, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.