Oven Baked Sockeye Salmon
This Baked Sockeye Salmon recipe is a foolproof way to prepare fish at home. Simple ingredients + 5 minutes of prep time, and a perfectly flaky piece of salmon with lemon and herbs will be ready!
“This was maybe the best baked salmon we have ever tasted! This will go into our regular rotation.”
—Rosa
This Recipe for Baked Salmon is Foolproof
Many home cooks are intimidated by making salmon, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’ve ever been disappointed about the way your oven baked salmon has come out, I hope you’ll give it another try. Or, if you’ve never tried it at all, I’m here to walk you through it.
While many food blogs keep their primary focus on chicken and beef, we’re known for our salmon recipes around here. Our salmon pasta and salmon sandwich recipes have been at the top of Google for years, with millions of pageviews.
And just like with those recipes, we’re here today to share step-by-step tips that will give you a restaurant-quality meal at home, when you make the best baked salmon recipe of your life.
Bookmark this recipe and come back to it anytime you need an easy protein for a weeknight dinner, are doing meal prep, or need to cook salmon to make another recipe, like fresh salmon cakes.
Why you’ll love this Oven Baked Salmon Recipe
- Baking salmon in the oven keeps it tender and flaky, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Use whatever herbs you have on hand, or skip them. Don’t have a lemon? Use an orange or lime. It’s all good!
- Just one baking sheet needed, so there’s minimal cleanup. No foil or parchment paper needed, unless you want to.
What is Sockeye Salmon?
Sockeye salmon is a type of salmon mainly found in the northern Pacific ocean. It’s flesh (when raw) has a very deep reddish-orange hue to it, making it easy to spot amongst the (primarily lighter orange) salmon varieties at your seafood market.
Sockeye is slightly oilier than other types of salmon, which means it’s loaded with omega-3’s (so good for your heart!).
It has a rich flavor, so this type of salmon will probably be most enjoyed by people who really like salmon.
Sockeye salmon stands up well to grilling, baking, broiling or just about any other way you can think of to cook it!
Oven Baked Salmon Recipe Ingredients
- sockeye salmon – you’ll need 1-1/4 pounds (20 ounces) of sockeye salmon for this recipe. It can be one large sockeye salmon fillet or several smaller ones. I love the skin-on salmon fillets at Trader Joe’s! It’s always fresh.
- olive oil – a little bit of oil rubbed onto the salmon flesh keeps it nice and moist in the oven, and helps it brown as well.
- lemon juice and zest – 1 large lemon should give you enough juice and zest for this sockeye salmon recipe. Obviously, be sure to zest it before juicing!
- fresh herbs – I used a combination of rosemary and thyme for this recipe for sockeye salmon, but you can use all one or the other. Dill and oregano are also good here!
- salt and pepper – seasoning is key to making oven baked salmon taste great.
How to Make Oven Baked Salmon
1. PREP. Brush a small sheet pan with a bit of olive oil and place the salmon, skin side down, in the center of the pan. Drizzle the salmon with olive oil, then lemon juice. Sprinkle it with the lemon zest, herbs and salt and pepper. If desired, arrange some lemon slices over the fish.
2. BAKE. Transfer to a preheated oven and cook until the internal temperature of thickest part of fish reaches 145 degrees F and it flakes easily with a fork.
Best Way to Season Salmon
When it comes to seasoning salmon, a simple approach that enhances the natural flavors of the fish usually works best.
Always start with salt and pepper. Sometimes this is all you need to make the fish sing. But if you want to add even more flavoring, you may want to choose an herb, such as thyme or rosemary.
Citrus is a natural accompaniment to most seafood, and all types of citrus work well with salmon. My favorite is lemon, and I season the fish with both lemon juice and lemon zest.
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How long to bake salmon at 350
Baking time for salmon at 350 degrees F can vary a little bit based on the thickness of your piece of salmon. After all, every fish is different!
As a general guideline, cook 12 to 15 minutes for each inch of thickness, and then start checking the internal temperature using an instant-read thermometer. The thickest part of the fish needs to reach 145 degrees F.
Best Baked Salmon Recipe Home Chef Tips
- Invest in an instant read thermometer. This is the quickest, easiest and best way to check the internal temperature of your fish without cutting into it and letting all the juices run out.
- Rub on some of our salmon seasoning recipe for even more flavor.
- If you want to add a sprinkle of minced garlic, or spices like paprika or onion powder, I won’t stop you!
What to Serve with Sockeye Salmon
I love the combination of salmon and a green vegetable, so roasted asparagus or balsamic green beans would be a yummy choice to go with this sockeye salmon recipe.
You can never go wrong with a great green salad with homemade miso salad dressing or citrus salad dressing with baked sockeye salmon.
Butternut squash spaghetti, steamed rice or mashed potatoes with heavy cream are other great side dish options.
How to Store This Recipe for Baked Salmon
If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
Sockeye Salmon Recipe FAQs
Sockeye salmon, sometimes known as red salmon, is one of several varieties of salmon. It has a rich, vibrant red flesh and a full-bodied flavor. Other types of salmon may have more of an orange or pink flesh, and a milder flavor.
The main thing you don’t want to do when cooking salmon is overcook it. Overcooked salmon can be dry and tough. It’s important to have an instant-read thermometer on hand so that you can check that the internal temperature of the fish reaches 145 degrees F, but no higher.
Salmon is best cooked at a moderate temperature so that it cooks evenly and retains its moisture. I find that 350 degrees is really the perfect temperature for cooking salmon that will turn out well for you every single time.
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Best Baked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pound sockeye salmon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (be sure to zest lemon before juicing)
- 4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary and/or thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 lemon thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush small rimmed baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place salmon, skin side down, in center of pan.
- Drizzle salmon with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, then drizzle with lemon juice. Sprinkle salmon with lemon zest, rosemary and/or thyme, and salt and pepper. If desired, arrange sliced lemon over salmon.
- Transfer to oven and bake 14 to 16 minutes or until internal temperature of thickest part of fish reaches 145 degrees F. Serve immediately.
Outstanding, made along with the Greek yogurt feta mash.
Sounds like an amazing meal. So glad you liked this recipe Cathey!
Made it today and it was a hit. First time I bake sockeye salmon. Recommend without reservations.
Thanks for the lovely review, Carol!
Sockeye have bones to contend with?
All salmon have bones! Just run your finger along the fillet to feel any pinbones that your fishmonger may have missed, and then pull them out. I usually buy my sockeye salmon at Trader Joe’s, and haven’t found any bones.
This recipe is truly amazing. I tried it and it turned out very nice.
Yum yum!! Just made a whole fillet with this super easy recipe with the Greek smashed spuds! So good. Added a few handfuls of those good for you, or (so I’ve been told ) haha mixed young greens, out of the plastic thingy. I really don’t love to cook, but will for sure make these again. Thank you
I am so glad to hear you liked this, Cathy. Sounds like you had an easy, healthy dinner!
This was maybe the best baked salmon we have ever tasted! This will go into our regular rotation. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that, Rosa. Thanks for stopping by!
Wonderful meal and very easy to make…
I am so glad to hear that, Kimberly!