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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Lemon Butter Baked Salmon

    Updated: Jun 11, 2024 · Published: Feb 6, 2023 · by Jan Nunes

    A fillet of Atlantic salmon with its skin on, cooked in butter and lemon on a white plate with text overlay.
    A fillet of Atlantic salmon with its skin on, cooked in butter and lemon on a white plate with text overlay.

    Super easy Lemon Butter Baked Salmon is fillets of seasoned salmon topped with butter and lemon and baked in the oven.

    The combination of butter and lemon is classic in cooking fish and this recipe is so simple and easy to make you will want to make it often for weeknight dinners and Sunday suppers.

    A fillet of Atlantic salmon with its skin on, cooked in butter and lemon on a white plate.
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    Even picky eaters won't be able to resist the transformation that butter and lemon can make. This combination makes all seafood richly scrumptious. The butter adds richness, and the lemon brings fresh citrus acidity that complements most seafood.

    Jump to:
    • What to Look for When Buying Fish
    • Pink Salmon versus Red Salmon
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How to Make Lemon Butter Baked Salmon
    • My Top Tips
    • Make-Ahead and Storage
    • More Delicious Main Dish Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    This dish works with any type of salmon and I often buy fresh frozen fillets because they are both economical and delicious. But you can use any salmon you like.

    And the best part is that the butter and lemon make their own sauce as the salmon bakes, so you can skip the tartar sauce if you want.

    What to Look for When Buying Fish

    Here are my top four tips for selecting fish to purchase for dinner:

    • The fish market should smell like the ocean without a strong fishy odor. If the market has a strong odor, something has gone bad and you should not risk buying anything.
    • Fish should look brilliant and not dull. If the skin is still attached it should be bright and shiny with the scales firmly attached.
    • If the fish is whole, the eyes should be clear, bright, and bulging.
    • Fillets should still have the skin attached for the best flavor.

    Pink Salmon versus Red Salmon

    Salmon comes in varying shades of pink, orange, and red. The darker shades of orange and red are typically from specific salmon species, such as the Atlantic, Sockeye, and Coho.

    Pink salmon is a specific species named for the color of its flesh. It is a delicate to mild-tasting fish with a light texture. While Sockeye salmon, also called red salmon, is bright to dark orangey-red and is richer in flavor. Both fish are high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D.

    Pink salmon is more plentiful and less expensive than red salmon. Both pink and red salmon get their pinky-orange to red coloring from the shrimp and krill they eat, just like flamingos. Oh, and krill are just little tiny shrimp. So they eat shrimp and more shrimp for those lovely colors.

    The real difference is in how long they eat shrimp and krill. Red salmon have a lifespan of 5 years, while pink salmon live only about 2 years.

    Red salmon is less plentiful than pink salmon and the demand for it is higher due to its beautiful color and rich flavor, which makes it expensive. But pink salmon is also delicious and in blind tastings, people often preferred the flavor of pink salmon.

    Whether one is more nutritious than the other is still debated. However, my family prefers darker orange or red salmon and can taste a distinct difference.

    Why This Recipe Works

    There are three main reasons why this recipe works so well, especially for busy days:

    • The Flavor - Salmon is a favorite fish in America for its flavor and the classic addition of butter and lemon makes it company-worthy.
    • Simple to Make - Just season the fish, lay it in a prepared baking dish, top it with butter and lemon, and bake! This recipe is super easy with simple ingredients.
    • Easy Cleanup - Just one cutting board, a knife, and the baking dish make for a quick and easy cleanup.

    So... Let's cook!

    Ingredient Notes

    Lemon Butter Baked Salmon Ingredients, clockwise from top right: cooking spray, salmon filets, lemon, butter, pepper, salt, and fresh parsley (optional).

    Here's what you need to make Lemon Butter Baked Salmon :

    • Butter-Flavored Cooking Spray - I use butter-flavored cooking spray to accent the butter in this recipe. But you can use an unflavored spray.
    • Salmon Fillets - You will need fresh or frozen fish. I have used fresh frozen pink salmon that is thawed and fresh Atlantic salmon. You can use thin wide fillets as shown above, or thicker and narrow fillets. However, this recipe is not suitable for canned salmon.
    • Butter - You can use salted or unsalted butter here.
    • Lemon - Fresh lemon is the best. Choose firm bright colored fruit for the best flavor.
    • Salt - Just plain iodized salt for fine sea salt is good for this dish.
    • Pepper - Freshly ground black pepper is always my choice. It has a flowery aroma that does wonders for dishes.
    • Fresh Parsley or Dill - (Optional) A little bit of green makes this dish look so pretty. But neither parsley nor dill is essential in making this dish.

    Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

    How to Make Lemon Butter Baked Salmon

    Process Photo 1 - Preparing the baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray.

    Preheat oven to 425°F and coat the bottom of a 13 x 9” baking dish with butter-flavored cooking spray.

    Process Photo 2 - The salmon is seasoned with salt and pepper in a baking dish.

    Arrange the salmon fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Season the fish with salt and pepper.

    Process Photo 3a - Cutting the butter into thin slices.
    Process Photo 3b - Covering the seasoned salmon with thin slices of butter.

    Cut each tablespoon of butter into 4 thin slices and top each salmon fillet with the butter.

    Process Photo 4a - Slicing the lemon thinly on a cutting board.
    Process Photo 4b - The butter covered salmon is topped with fresh lemon slices.

    Thinly slice the lemon and place the slices of lemon on top of the butter.

    Process Photo 5 - Covering the salmon in the baking dish with aluminum foil.

    Bake the salmon for 20 to 25 minutes or until the fish has turned opaque. You can cover the fish with aluminum foil or not. If desired, garnish the baked fish with fresh parsley or dill before serving.

    Two types of salmon, pink on the left and Atlantic on the right baked with butter and lemon.
    Thinner fillets of Pink Salmon are on the left and thicker fillets of Atlantic Salmon are on the right.

    My Top Tips

    ♡ Do not purchase or cook fish that smells. Fresh fish and fresh frozen fish should smell like the ocean. If there is a strong odor the fish is not safe to eat.

    ♡ If using frozen salmon let the fish thaw in the refrigerator. Because the fillets are thin they will thaw in just a few hours in the fridge. This is best for food safety as fish is very perishable.

    Make-Ahead and Storage

    • Fish generally is not a make-ahead dish and this baked salmon is best if served the same day. However, this baked salmon is also delicious cold and can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
    A fillet of Atlantic salmon with its skin on, cooked in butter and lemon on a white plate.

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    ♡ Did you love this Lemon Butter Baked Salmon? Please leave a star rating and a comment below!

    📖 Recipe

    A fillet of Atlantic salmon with its skin on, cooked in butter and lemon on a white plate.

    Lemon Butter Baked Salmon

    5 from 2 votes
    By: Jan Nunes
    Super easy Lemon Butter Baked Salmon is fillets of seasoned salmon topped with butter and lemon and baked in the oven.
    Print Share Pin Email
    Prep Time ~ 10 minutes minutes
    Baking Time ~ 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time ~ 35 minutes minutes
    Servings ~ 4 Servings
    Calories ~ 358kcal
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    Ingredients
     

    • Butter Flavored Cooking Spray
    • 1 ½ Pounds Thin Salmon Fillets, about 4
    • 1 Teaspoon Salt
    • ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
    • 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Thinly Sliced
    • 2 Lemons, Thinly Sliced
    • Chopped Parsley or Sprigs of Dill

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 425°F and coat the bottom of a 13 x 9” baking dish with butter flavored cooking spray.
      Butter Flavored Cooking Spray
    • Arrange the salmon fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
      1 ½ Pounds Thin Salmon Fillets, 1 Teaspoon Salt, ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
    • Cut each tablespoon of butter into 4 thin slices and top each salmon fillet with the butter.
      4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
    • Thinly slice the lemon and place the slices of lemon on top of the butter.
      2 Lemons
    • Bake the salmon for 20 to 25 minutes or until the fish has turned opaque. You can cover the fish with aluminum foil or not. If desired, garnish the baked fish with fresh parsley or dill before serving.
      Chopped Parsley or Sprigs of Dill

    Notes

    Do not cook fish that smells. Fresh fish and fresh frozen fish should smell like the ocean. If there is a strong odor the fish is not safe to eat.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 747mg | Potassium: 915mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 431IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg

    Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.

    Encharted Cook™ or Jan Nunes shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.

    © 2018-2025 Encharted Cook, Jan Nunes. All rights reserved.

    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American

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    About Jan Nunes

    Jan is the creator and owner of Encharted Cook. Her cooking and baking journey began more than 50 years ago and she specializes in showing how recipes and ingredients can work together and why. At Encharted Cook you can rely on proven recipes and take your cooking and baking up to the next level.

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    Jan Nunes

    Hey There!

    Welcome to Encharted Cook! I'm Jan, a seasoned cook with recipe charts, pro tips, and ideas to help you make delicious dinners. Over the years I've learned that many recipes are related... and if you learn to make one delicious dish, you can make many more!

    more about Jan

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