The perfect recipe for cooking a salmon filet for one in the oven. Customize with your favorite seasoning for an easy and healthy dinner entrée ready in less than 30 minutes!

We often hear the phrase “add more fish to your diet” or “eat fish twice a week” but how do we practically incorporate that into our weekly dinners? This Easy Oven-Baked Salmon takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and generally no more than 10-15 minutes to cook.
Adding this recipe to your weekly dinner rotation is a great way to easily get fish into your diet. Add a side of vegetables and a starch and you have a healthy and easy family-friendly dinner ready in less than 30 minutes! That’s quicker than getting take-out!
Ingredients
- Salmon Filet: This recipe works best with fresh, thawed salmon. There are a lot of terms describing salmon. Some have meaning such as wild vs. farmed, while others are just words to market (i.e. sell) the fish such as organic and fresh. For an in-depth look at what all of the terms mean this article from Cooking Light is handy.
- Olive Oil: I think rubbing olive oil on the salmon before seasoning helps the spices stick to the fish better. Some people prefer to put mayonnaise on their salmon filet rather than olive oil.
- Seasoning: Salmon is so versatile. A few of my favorite seasoning blends include lemon pepper, blackened, cajun and citrus.
Cooking Tips
For easy cleanup, line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray if you want to remove filet with skin intact, otherwise the skin will stick to the foil. Use a fork or spatula to quickly remove the skin after cooking.
How long to bake salmon?
A good rule of thumb, is to bake the filet at 450°F for 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Fish should be 145°F, opaque, and flake easily with a fork.
For food safety, The minimum safe internal cooking temperature for salmon is 145°F. However, many prefer their salmon cooked to an internal temperature of 125°F. Consuming undercooked fish has a potential risk of food-borne illness.
📖 Recipe
Easy Oven-Baked Salmon Filet
Ingredients
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
- 1 - 3-4 oz. Salmon Fillet
- 1 teaspoon Seasoning of Choice
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray for easy cleanup.
- Place salmon on foil, skin side down. Brush filet with olive oil. Sprinkle with desired seasoning.
- Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Fish should be 145 °F, opaque, and flake easily with a fork.
Notes
Salmon is a great source of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fats (aka healthy fats) which are linked to an overall reduced risk of heart disease. This is an easy way to get those hearty healthy fats in your diet.
Side ideas for this Easy Oven-Baked Salmon include sweet potatoes, Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower, and Chipotle Butter Broccoli.
Enjoy y'all! Thanks for stopping by!
Alaine
References: Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. American Heart Association. May 2014. Accessed September 2014.
This post was originally published on My TX Kitchen September 14, 2014. Updated in September 2020 with new text and photos.
Jacob
I'll be cooking this tonight. Thanks!
Carla Hensley
The recipe sounds very good,I can't wait to make it this evening!!
Alaine
Thank you, enjoy!
Hannah Flack
I am definitely trying this! That imaginary person at the beginning of your post? Totally me. I work four ten-hour days so I can have 3-day weekends to work on my blog, and by the time I walk in the door at the end of a work day I can hardly think straight, let alone make a time-consuming recipe. This kind of dinner is just what I need!