Perfect Oven Baked Salmon

Salmon is one of our favorite meals and we are experts at crafting delicious salmon recipes. If you’ve ever had salmon come out dry, you’ll love this recipe. Knowing how to bake the perfect piece of fish, and when to take it out of the oven is a key element for delicious buttery, flaky, restaurant quality salmon. This how to guide will show you how to cook perfect salmon every time, in the oven at 400 degrees, with no guesswork. 

How to Bake Salmon at 400 Degrees

This simple technique for baking salmon results in restaurant quality, buttery flaky salmon every time. This method is foolproof the perfectly cooked salmon. Baking the salmon at 400 degrees gives it a hot environment for the fish to develop a light sear in from the olive oil, but it’s not too hot to where the fish will cook too quickly. This balance results in super moist salmon, with a light sear-like exterior. 

• Salmon is considered ‘fully’ cooked when it is 145 degrees Fahrenheit at its most thickest, internal part of the fish.
• It takes about 15-20 minutes for salmon to get there in a 400 degree oven. Oven temps can vary, use an electronic meat thermometer for the most accuracy. 
• You can use this method on its own with just salt and pepper for a simpler dish, or with different seasonings. If you want seasoned salmon, here’s an at home recipe you can use. 

Juicy, Flaky Salmon Tip

For extra flaky, buttery salmon, pull the salmon before it’s fully cooked. By cooking salmon to a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit and letting it come up to 145 degrees farenheit outside of the oven, you’re letting the fish cook completely, without it becoming dry and overdone. The buttery texture is what makes salmon such a rich, but healthy treat. The moisture is locked in, without being overcooked. 

Baking Restaurant Quality Salmon at Home

For this recipe, you’ll want to use a sheet pan. Depending on the size of your salmon filet, you can either use a half sheet pan, or a full sized one. Cover the sheet pan with foil. This makes clean up so much easier, and helps the salmon cook evenly. 

PRO TIP: What makes this salmon restaurant quality is one simple technique; pull early. You’ll want to pull the salmon on the sheet pan from the oven as soon as it hits about 140 degrees fahrenheit. The salmon will still be on the hot pan fresh out of the oven, and it will rise to 145 degrees without overcooking the fish. That is how restaurants get that flaky, buttery salmon finish! Be sure to use an electronic meat thermometer for the most accurate temperature reading. 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place salmon on foil lined sheet pan sprayed with nonstick spray.
• Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil on salmon.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over salmon.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until thickets part of salmon is 140 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping an eye on salmon temperature to ensure it does not overcook.
• Remove salmon from oven at 140 degrees farenheit. Allow salmon to rest and come up to 145 degrees fahrenheit.
• Serve & enjoy!

More Salmon Recipes

• Pecan Crusted Rosemary Salmon
• Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce
• Garlic Lemon Baked Salmon with Broccoli
• Sheet Pan Orange Ginger Salmon
• Honey Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon Dinner
• Feta and Herb Crusted Salmon
• Braided Salmon 
• Greek Yogurt Salmon
• Salmon Dip

Check out this infographic to help show you how to perfectly cook your seafood using other methods, too!

Serving & Storing Salmon

SERVING: I like to serve my oven baked salmon with white rice, and a garden salad. I keep it pretty simple for dinners around our house! This is also great as a protein in salads, and pairs really well with a homemade caesar dressing. If you have leftovers, I’d recommend this leftover salmon salad. 

STORING: Oven baked salmon is delicious the next day. Store it in a lidded container for up to 3 days. You can reheat salmon, it gets the best flavor for reheating being steamed, so it doesn’t dry out. You can microwave it, however I recommend doing so with a tablespoon of water to keep it moist.

Enjoy healthy and delicious fish! Kathi and Rachel

What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula,while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!

Perfect Baked Salmon

an easy how to guide for perfect, buttery, flakey salmon, baked in the oven at 400 degrees.

5 from 27 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Author: Kathi & Rachel

Ingredients

• 4 6 oz fresh (not frozen) salmon filets (Atlantic is my favorite. 1 filet per peson)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
• Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with nonstick.
• Place salmon onto foil lined sheetpan. Rub filets with olive oil, and sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper.
• Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until fish is 140 degrees at its thickest most internal part. Allow to rest and come up to temperature (fish is considered full cooked at 145 degrees Fahrenheit internally), for about 5-10 minutes.
• Serve & enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 32kcal | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 5mg | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg